Silent Knight
by Split Infinitive
Summary: Defeating Calamity Ganon was just the beginning. Princess Zelda tries to help her appointed knight Link to fully recover his memories and he, in turn, works with her to restore the Kingdom of Hyrule. The Yiga Clan, though, have one last ace to play to stop them. A Breath of the Wild sequel.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: It goes without saying that there are major BotW spoilers ahead...**

 **Chapter 1**

 _She stood facing him, her white gown fluttering in the gentle breeze. Wispy clouds drifted overhead from a sky bright with sunlight, a sky that seemed to burst with the promise of a new age._

" _May I ask…" she said, her voice clutched between hope and fear. "Do you really remember me…?"_

/||\

The strange looking frog wouldn't even see her coming.

Oblivious, it sat happily on a rock slick with damp rising from the shallow pool around it. Inky eyes darted here and there while its bright orange chest throbbed in a steady rhythm. Another pair of eyes, large and piercing green in colour, watched the unsuspecting creature from the swaying undergrowth.

Princess Zelda shuffled forward on palms and knees stained so much with dirt that she could almost hear her late father scold her for her unladylike behaviour. She pushed the faint thoughts away. And waited.

Thin shafts of fading sunlight fell through a canopy of trees to caress her face with a distracting warmth. Zelda bit her lower lip and tried to blot everything else out. The surrounding noise of the small copse – a chorus of chirps, hisses, and squawks – all faded away. She slowly rocked back onto her heels, coiling all her energy into her legs.

Her heart slowed. Time contracted.

She leapt - and so did the frog, darting away to safety in an orange blur. Princess Zelda splashed into the water.

"Rats!" she hissed, smacking the filmy surface of the pool with her palms.

A shadow fell across her. A familiar shadow.

"Princess…?"

Zelda looked up at him, blinking water from her eyes. "I'm fine, Link."

Clad in the blue of the Hyrule Champions, her ever-faithful appointed knight didn't look too convinced. Haunted sapphire eyes peered out from under his dark Hylian hood, and his grip around the Master Sword's hilt tightened.

"Really, Link," Zelda persisted. "You must learn to relax. You've played your part. Admirably well, if I may say. You no longer need to think of yourself as the chosen one."

He opened his mouth, hesitating. "I…" A slight shrug. "I don't know anything else."

Ever few of words, Princess Zelda still managed to catch his true meaning. He'd taken on the responsibility and was unwilling – or unable – to let it go.

"Hmm," she mused. "I suppose I can understand that." She stood up. Water dripped from her blue tunic and black trousers.

Link sheathed his sword, then averted his gaze, as he often did in her presence.

A memory came to the princess. She had stood in front of the Great Deku Tree, and had asked him to pass on a message to her knight when he awoke from his long slumber.

" _Now, then…"_ the wizened sage had said in a solemn voice. " _Words intended for him would sound much better in the tones of your own voice, don't you think…?"_

She remembered her own moment of shyness, rare as it was, before she'd acknowledged with a simple, "Yes."

Zelda smiled at the memory, then blinked as she realised that Link was now watching her with a curious gaze.

"Well," she said with a short sigh. "I hadn't seen _that_ specific specimen of frog before. I've not even seen it recorded in the castle library. I can't believe I missed out on such a discovery!" She tugged on her tunic. "What kind of properties do you think it had?"

Zelda pursed her lips when he didn't reply and placed her hands on her hips instead. "Oh, well," she said. "Never mind. It's gone now. The frog."

Link jerked slightly, as though suddenly hearing her. Alarm shone in his eyes. "Frog?"

Zelda nodded happily. "Mmm-hmm."

Link's reply came instantly. "I'm not licking it."

The princess laughed. Her heart latched onto his words with hope. "You remember that…?"

He gave a wordless nod in reply. Zelda hadn't quite worked out how much Link could recall – or rather, wasn't too sure how firm his memories actually were. Sometimes they seemed to shine bright like a cloudless, summer's day, and at other times would fade into murky twilight.

 _And what of his childhood, and his family, I wonder? All lost…?_

Zelda didn't want to prod, either, fearing that she'd cause his mind some unintentional damage. One thing rang clear from his actions, though: He certainly hadn't lost his devoted zeal to be her appointed knight.

 _Devoted to me._

Zelda shook away the distracting thought.

"I think," said Link. "I'll find something to cook."

The princess smiled. "You do that," she said softly.

"Other than frog."

Her smile widened. Link had found a childlike joy in making all sorts of strange dishes from an even stranger array of ingredients. He always had liked his food – she recalled describing him as a glutton in her diary once - and him standing hunched over a cooking pot humming to himself was the closest he got to breaking through the emotionless shell he'd cast around himself. Zelda just didn't have the heart to tell him how bad it usually tasted.

She looked around, noticing the first approach of twilight begin to encroach in over the copse. They would have to find light and shelter soon. Unlatching the Sheikah Slate from her hip, the princess peered at the screen, her face bathed in its ethereal glow.

"Zora's Domain is so far away," she sighed as she idly tapped the device with the tip of one finger. The Domain was their first port of call - Zelda felt duty bound to tell King Dorephan what had befallen his daughter Mipha. "Even with our horses." A cool breeze that heralded the coming of sunset fluttered through her golden hair and shivered the nearby tree branches. "And your ability to instantaneously travel to a shrine appears to have been lost, Link. I wonder why…?"

Zelda blinked. "Still. It gives me time to think. If we are to unite the races of Hyrule –"

"Princess."

Zelda looked up in surprise. Link still stood there, yet to embark on his foraging trip.

"Yes?" she asked.

"Don't you feel…troubled?"

Rare as it was to hear him speak, to find him asking her a direct question was sheer alchemy itself.

She slowly lowered the Slate to give him her full attention. "Troubled…?"

Link shrugged, setting all his equipment off in a discordant metallic tune. "We lost everyone, princess."

Anyone else would have waited for the knight to elaborate further. Zelda, though, knew well that he was done.

Her gaze moved to the Zora trident tied to his back. Zelda swallowed, and felt an odd tightening in her heart. "She meant a lot to you, didn't she…?"

Link blinked, caught off-guard by the question. He shrugged. "I…think so."

Then he looked away, suddenly abashed. The time he'd spent in her service had eventually taught Zelda to be patient to his ways.

 _Silent Knight. The name the gossip mongers and tongue-waggers in the Royal Court had mockingly given him behind his back._

But Zelda knew his true value.

 _Though that had not always been the case, had it?_ She felt a twinge of guilt at that thought.

"No, Link," she said, breaking into a smile. "I, for one, haven't lost _everyone._ "

He looked back, and her eyes met his. She went on. "And our troubles today pale in comparison to Calamity Ganon – and _he_ has most certainly gone, so..." She smiled. "It all gets easier from here on in, I assure you."

Zelda looked back down at the Slate, then frowned. She gave the ancient technology a shake, then a light smack.

"Princess…?" asked Link. "Is something wrong…?"

"The Sheikah Slate…" she replied softly. "It doesn't appear to be working. I can't access the runes. And the maps have gone. It shouldn't malfunction like -"

A twig snapped.

They both looked up in chorus, then looked at each other.

"Wait here," said Link. "I'll go check."

Zelda frowned. "You don't have –"

" _Wait."_

He gestured with one hand, waving her back behind a tree – irritating her no end - then fell into a half-crouch himself and moved through the undergrowth, his boots not even making a hint of a whisper in the fading light. Zelda watched as he slowly reached over his shoulder to unhook his bow.

 _Such little effort,_ she thought. _It's second nature to him._

Princess Zelda had no intention of standing idly by, though. Her hand began to glow, the power that had eluded her for so long now coming easily, sheathed by a light as piercingly bright as a star on a moonless night.

Link stopped, so motionless that Zelda thought – absurdly – he'd become petrified into a statue. A profound silence fell like a cloak over the copse. The princess could hear the thump of her own heart in a world that seemed to momentarily hold its breath –

And then Link launched into the air, bow aimed with one hand, the other freeing an arrow from his quiver to nock against the creaking string. He seemed to hang there impossibly, the arrowhead flashing as it caught the last of the sunlight, then he let the shaft fly.

Zelda saw the arrow shoot across her line of sight before it hit something that erupted into a purplish-black cloud of smoke. She broke into a sprint before Link had even landed into a crouch, and caught up to him within moments.

"What _was_ that?" she gasped. "Did you see it?"

"A Bokoblin," Link replied as he lowered his bow.

A frown creased Zelda's brow. "How could that be?" she said, shaking her head. "They should have all perished when their master fell."

"I don't know."

The princess looked down at what remained of their would-be pursuer. A broken fang lay next to a horn in a circle of blackened ash. Her gaze moved to the Sheikah Slate.

"It's completely dead," she said, looking at the black screen.

Zelda felt troubled by a clammy touch to her heart. She put her unease into words.

"It's not yet over, is it?" she said with dismay. "Who else is out there who will come to haunt us still…?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 _Princess Zelda's trembling, dirt-streaked hand clutched the pale blue Champion's tunic hard, her fingernails digging into the fabric, before she finally relinquished it to the Sheikah woman. Faint screams carried on the burning air outside, and each one took to her heart like a poison-tipped blade._

" _I want you to give him this," she said. "If he should ever –"_

 _Her voice thickened, the words dying unsaid on her tongue. She looked up at Impa's small, gentle face, eyes wide in a soundless plea._

 _The Sheikah spoke kindly. "The two of you grew quite close, didn't you?"_

" _I…" said Zelda. "What will he remember…?"_

" _Only what the Slate finds for him."_

" _That's not enough!" Zelda protested. "It's a mere handful!"_

" _A handful, maybe," said Impa. "But important nonetheless."_

" _And beyond that….?"_

 _The petite Sheikah woman shrugged. "It's hard to say," she replied._

 _They both looked up suddenly at the sound of a sharp, yet distant, scream. Zelda shivered._

 _Impa bowed her head and took a long, deep breath. "If you are reunited – no,_ _ **once**_ _you are reunited, you can guide him. Gently, though. One hundred years in the Shrine of Resurrection will affect not just the body, but the mind as well."_

" _One hundred years…"_

" _His wounds_ _ **were**_ _grave," Impa replied dryly. "It's a wonder he didn't perish earlier. Perhaps his spirit had something to live for. Perhaps that's just the way he is." She smiled. "But what's done is done. We did not foresee this, but we can take steps to make things right. Compose yourself now, Lady Zelda."_

 _The princess held her gaze for a heartbeat, then nodded in acknowledgment of the truth. She wasn't a child, and emotional outbursts would change nothing._

 _"Go," said Impa. "Take the Master Sword. You know what you have to do…"_

/||\

Princess Zelda stood over a crackling fire, her face cloaked with fiery light. "Are you quite certain about this?" she said. "I mean, I'm sure you know better given what you do, but we are rather high up and the little research I've done on strategy does show –"

"High ground is good," said Link, his voice floating over from somewhere up ahead. "I prefer it."

"I see," said Zelda, feeling a little stung at his interruption.

Sometimes she had to remind herself that he was still a knight, and like most warriors, he was a little rough round the edges. Especially when he was on edge like this.

The encounter with the Bokoblin had disturbed him. Oh, he wouldn't _say_ anything about it, true, but it was clear to her just from the tightness around his eyes. Link's eyes were, in Zelda's opinion, the most expressive thing about him.

Zelda sat down next to the dancing flame and drew her knees up to her chin. "You can see what's coming from up here, after all. And, if the need arises, roll a bomb down the slope." She sighed softly. "If we had any bombs."

 _What am I doing? I sound so petulant – and why? There are no courtiers here, no handmaidens that will fawn over my every move. There's just me...and Link._

They were atop a hill under a starlit sky, their horses tied and grazing down below. Link had made a tiny hollow of a tent for her using his paraglider, and Princess Zelda listened now to the taut fabric snap under the caress of the night time breeze.

Despite her knight's vigilance, no more monsters had accosted them. The fact hadn't soothed the disquiet in her heart any less.

Zelda looked out over Hyrule. Moonlight silvered distant jagged peaks - huge mountains skirted by drifting banks of fog - and cast milky light over the Divine Beasts, dormant now their work was done, that dominated the skyline.

There stood Vah Ruta near Zora's Domain, Vah Rudania beside the molten glow of Death Mountain, the outstretched wings of Vah Medoh she could see if she just turned her head, and with eyes straining she could make out Vah Naboris of the desert.

Her gaze was then drawn to the glowing pillars of otherworldly blue light, starkly bright against the backdrop of the night, that marked the position of the many Sheikah Towers throughout the land.

 _Her_ land. Not for the first time, the majestic beauty of it all stole Princess Zelda's breath clear away.

"So desolate now," she said in a wistful voice as the fire popped and sighed beside her. "I remember when this whole world simply teemed with life. The festivals, the tournaments – even with the threat of Calamity Ganon looming, Father would not allow us to be cowed." She took in a deep breath. "So many people…"

Zelda glanced at Link. The knight had his back to her, his head cocked to one side. The princess knew he was listening. He must think her strange – only earlier in the day had she tried to bolster his spirits when he'd asked if losing everyone troubled her.

Zelda's gaze returned to her land. "But how many of them, I wonder, would remember the royal family today?" she said. An owl hooted from somewhere in the valley below. "The Hylians today are too disparate, too few in number."

"What's your plan, princess?"

She smiled, glad that he was engaging her in talk. "As I said," she replied. "We must work to unite the races. With their support, perhaps then my fellow Hylians will recognise my…my authority."

The word sat awkwardly on her tongue.

If Link had any misgivings about her scheme, he didn't seem in a hurry to share them.

She looked his way properly now. Her chosen knight stood guard a few paces away, his back to her in proper protocol when respecting the privacy of a maiden, especially a _royal_ maiden. He still remembered the old ways, though from what little he'd told her of his adventures, it seemed those ways were long gone now.

 _Has he forgotten already the time I wept in his arms…? Forgotten how he'd held me so awkwardly in the rain with his own attempt at comfort…?_

No. No, that couldn't be. He'd have the handful of memories that the Sheikah Slate would have triggered within him – and _that_ was certainly one of them. How bright it burned in his heart and mind, the princess didn't yet know…

And, of course, she had memories that he wouldn't have, like the time after one particular supper where she'd stormed off to her chambers after yet another row with her father, pausing only to scold a scullion that had been too slow to move out of her way.

Link had trailed after her, but the moment she had entered the room she had slammed the door in his face and had, quite simply, forgotten all about him, preferring instead to stew in her own rage.

Imagine her surprise, then, when she had opened her door the next morning to find Link sitting there cross-legged with the Master Sword lying across his lap. She remembered her words.

"Have you been here all night...?"

Silence.

"Have you even slept...?"

That's when he had decided to speak. "I wasn't tired."

And though her chambermaids had spoken of the event in hushed giggles, the princess hadn't been convinced. He hadn't answered her question, after all. It was a trick, just to enhance his reputation. It had to be, only because the alternative troubled her so. What was Link sacrificing, she had wondered, in this futile task her father had appointed for him...?

It had been a few months later when she had seen Link practising swordplay in the castle courtyard with a young man that had seemed grateful for the tutelage. It had taken her a moment to realise that the man in question had been the scullion she'd scolded. It was a realisation that had struck her straight to the heart.

Zelda felt the sudden need for distraction and, after batting away a few stray fireflies, picked up the cold, dark husk of the Sheikah Slate. They were lost without it, seeking out Zora's Domain through memory alone. That, and head in the general direction of Vah Ruta, clearly still visible in the distance from up here, but as soon as they reached level ground it would be harder to find.

She examined the device in the firelight, trying to find any seams, any way to open the thing so that she could take a poke inside. There had to be a logical way to fix it. There just _had_ to be.

A familiar tide rose within her. The frustration, the fear of failure that had been her constant companion for most of her life stormed now in her heart. Despite her success against Ganon, Zelda felt she'd never truly be free of the feeling.

 _What is it Father always used to say? 'When your own problems overwhelm you, child, then you must free yourself from yourself. Try instead to help another.'_

Zelda set the slate aside. "Link," she said. "If I may be so bold…but is there anything you would like to ask me…? About your old life perhaps…?"

A long pause followed, then Link half-turned his face toward her. "Mipha."

 _Of course,_ she thought, surprised by the sour taste of her own disappointment.

"She was very brave," said Zelda. "And she liked her solitude. A quiet one, much like yourself. Perhaps that's why she felt…" Her words died in her throat, so unwilling was she to go down that path.

After a moment to regain her composure, the princess spoke on, trying to focus on something that his unlocked memories may not have told him. "Mipha cared about even the smallest creature. I saw her heal the broken leg of a spider once. It was that compassion that led Father and I to select her as our Zora Champion."

Zelda wondered how much she could push before causing any damage to his mind. She decided to put it to the test. After all, it wasn't like she was going to talk to him about _his_ father now, was it…?

"I'm sure you know that you were childhood friends," she said. "Do you recall any of that…?"

Link said nothing and so Zelda pressed on.

"Sometimes I wished I had the quiet dignity of the two of you. I tend to ramble. You may have noticed." She paused. "I'm rambling now, aren't I?"

"No," Link replied.

The silence stretched, and Zelda thought he was done. He surprised her by speaking again.

"Sometimes your voice was all I had."

Zelda swallowed, knowing he referred to his reawakening, all alone and stripped of his past. Firelight danced beside her, and a sudden stray thought came, a memory – one that Link should have recovered - of when the knight had taught her to properly tame a horse, telling her to take the time to soothe her mount. ' _That's the only way it will know how you truly feel.'_

Zelda took a short breath. "You were held in very high regard, Link." _Except, at first, by myself. "_ All the Champions were your friends. And…I was, too. At least I'd like to think so." Her voice grew quiet. "Near the end, that is."

"The end…" he breathed. "When you defended me."

"Yes."

Rustling leaves caught on a swirling current of air blocked her sight of him for a moment. When she saw him again, he was facing forward once more, framed under the sprinkle of starlight from above, the rigidity in his stance telling her that he had nothing more to say.

Most people would find such a companion frustrating. Others, like the whisperers within the castle, would have labelled him arrogant and stuck-up.

And, in truth, she _did_ still find it frustrating on occasion, though she'd learned to bite her tongue so that she wouldn't lash out. She did allow herself a quiet sigh, though.

Zelda looked at him a moment more, noting the Master Sword, Zora Trident and Hylian Shield strapped to his back alongside a bow and its quiver of arrows. She'd almost forgotten how deceptively strong he was.

Link's posture changed ever-so-slightly, and Zelda knew he was about to speak.

"There's…" he said. "There are some words. That I think I remember."

Zelda waited for him to elaborate. She knew he would.

" _Fahel Ihadah_ ," he continued. "But I don't know what it means…?"

"It's…" Zelda began slowly, then cleared her throat. "A motto. It means 'Unto the one' in the old Sheikah tongue. Those knights who had, let's say, a _special_ task to do with the royal family would, in theory, live by those words. I read about it once. Just in passing, you understand. The knights were meant to lose themselves completely in steadfast dedication to their…their appointed role." A beat of silence passed. "Not many took it seriously."

She decided then to leave the rest unsaid. 'Appointed role' was understating it a little. More like appointed _person,_ and though Link seemed to instinctively understand that, he probably wasn't ready to really mull over it. She didn't want to overwhelm him, after all.

 _Is it him that's truly not ready…?_ she thought. _Or is it I…?_

The princess felt inclined to change the topic. "So," she said with false cheerfulness. "It appears we'll be taking the scenic route to Zora's Domain. I believe I can find our way to Hateno." She paused, then added, "If it still exists, that is."

Link gave a nod to indicate that it did.

"Good!" Zelda said. "I've always rather wanted to explore the fauna in that area. And we could meet Purah. You have met her, right?"

Another nod.

The princess smiled. "Perhaps she can aid us in repairing the Sheikah Slate. What do you say?"

"Hateno," Link replied without turning around. "I was thinking of buying a house there."

Zelda brightened up. The times when Link thawed a little in her presence were a rare treat. "A house?" she said. "Really…?"

He shrugged. "I never got around to it."

"It would have been well-deserved."

"It's not reward I seek," Link replied quietly. "Not in this life, at least…"

Struck by the simplicity of the sentiment, the princess wondered why she'd once resented him.

 _All because the sword had – quite correctly – chosen him over me._

"Well," she said to break the silence. "I suppose I really can't imagine you settling down. In fact, I truly believed you'd always be –"

Zelda stopped short, realising what her tongue was about to reveal.

 _Always be by my side._

Zelda cleared her throat. She knew he wouldn't prod her to say anything more, but she felt compelled to fill the silence again.

"I truly believed you'd always be there to aid me in my research," she said, finding the lie leave her lips with little effort. "You'd live in the castle with the rest of the royal guard. Like you used to, do you remember…?"

"No, princess."

"Well," she said, swallowing. "We'll have plenty of time for research now, I suppose. Do you recall when my father forbade me from my scholarly pursuits?"

 _She_ did; she remembered it well. Zelda had worn a long, flowing elegant dress as she'd looked down from the castle parapets at the Guardians she'd once felt would be their only hope. Link, as ever, had trailed behind her, closer to her than her own shadow. Father had appeared, and the knight had dropped to one knee with his head bowed.

Anger had curled Zelda's left hand into a fist when her father had needled her about what the gossip-mongers said about her. _An heir to a throne of nothing,_ he had said. _Nothing but failure._

"You were so silent," she went on. "I almost forgot you were there."

"It wasn't my place," said Link. "To speak. When my liege was giving advice to the princess."

"Hmm," she replied. "Well. What _were_ you thinking? I often wondered…"

"I…" Link stopped, hesitating.

Zelda waited, watching him.

"I was thinking…" And again he stopped.

Zelda decided to give him a gentle nudge. "Yes…?"

He half-turned to her again, his hooded face marbled by moonlight. "I…was hoping the two of you would stop arguing," he said. "So I could get up off my aching knees."

Zelda stared for a long moment, blinking. And then she spluttered into a laugh.

A dizzying sense of joy surprised her. It wasn't even _that_ funny, but she couldn't help but let her laugh turn into a very unladylike snort. Then, wonder of wonders, she caught a glimpse of a slight smile on his face, too.

 _I wish all those gossipers had seen this side of him…_

But did she? Did she, really? A secretive part of Zelda's heart warmed at the thought that only she had been allowed the privilege.

Zelda's ears pricked up suddenly. Her mirth died in an instant. She looked up -

To see Link start in surprise, his eyes widening as he spun around to look past her. She shot to her feet, sending her gaze sweeping across the landscape to see what the knight had seen. Her breath caught in her throat.

 _The Beasts!_

Zelda slowly circled around. The great mechanical creatures were shaking, slowly at first, then with more violence, as though gripped by the convulsion of an earthquake. They heard the distant clang of metal, and then a trumpeted roar - Vah Ruta, Zelda realised as she spun that way. The great elephantine head tore free from its neck and hit the ground with a hollow thud.

Zelda gasped. "No…"

One by one, the other Beasts followed suit, steel rending apart with a screech that the two of them could hear despite the distance. Steam hissed from ruptured wounds, huge rivets flew free – like tiny shooting stars from their vantage point - until, finally, silence fell, punctured only by the death rattle of a few last twitches of falling metal.

Princess Zelda stood stunned. She felt Link's presence as he moved to stand beside her, and felt a little comfort. She shook her head slowly. "First the Slate…" she breathed. "And now this…?"

Her ears twitched again. The faint, gentle hum she usually heard in amongst the background noise of Hyrule had changed. It began to slowly fade, the noise descending step-by-step as though something was –

 _Powering down!_

The breeze whistled around her. Zelda wrapped her arms around herself and stared.

One by one, each like a candle being snuffed out by an unseen hand, the glowing lights of the Sheikah Towers of Hyrule fell dark.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 _It was chaos given form, this thing, this Calamity Ganon. Princess Zelda stood her ground. Hyrule Castle, her once familiar home, now held host to a howling wind that swirled around her, clawing and scratching at her clothes._

 _Power born from deep within Zelda's soul burst out from her upturned palms. Second by aching second, year by agonising year, she would keep this monster at bay._

 _The power_ _sustained her body, but not her heart. Only hope lived there._

 _With her newfound abilities, Zelda had torn open a small rift in the very fabric of the air. It hovered just above her eyes, a blurry portal through which she could see the Shrine of Resurrection, waiting, waiting for that day when he would finally heal..._

' _Stop following me!' she'd snapped at him once._

 _And now…now all she had was the belief that he_ _ **would**_ _follow her. Follow her right here..._

 _Malice and hatred pulsed from the frenzied mass of demonic energy before her. And something else, too. Something radically different. An intelligence, icy cold in its detachment. It unfurled a hidden fear in Zelda's heart – after all, they'd already fallen victim to it once before, when the demon had infiltrated the Guardians and the Divine Beasts._

 _What was it thinking, this Calamity Ganon…? What plot lurked behind its dark eyes…?_

/||\

Halef could feel the heat of the sand even through the soles of his boots. He wiped sweat from his brow, his right shoulder aching from the bulging satchel that hung from it. Spying the shimmer of water up ahead, Halef picked up his speed, glad to be finally arriving at the oasis bazaar of Kara Kara.

Halef had always walked this route, despite the fact he had more _immediate_ ways of getting about. For this, though, he wanted to feel the strain.

He passed under the date-palm trees and moved past the makeshift stalls that encircled a large pool at the very centre of the small marketplace. Halef spied an old woman crouched beside the water, watching the scorching sunlight glimmer reflected off of the calm surface.

He unlatched his satchel, then sat himself down beside her.

"Grandmother Yula," he said, using the honorific out of respect. They weren't related at all – not by blood, at least.

"Halef!" she said, beaming.

He lifted a large hydromelon from his leather bag and handed it over to her.

Yula smiled. "Bless you, son," she replied. "Every morning without fail."

"I try my best."

She brought the dark-green fruit up to her face to cool her weathered skin. "You know," the old woman said. "Sometimes I even thought you were secretly the hero they once spoke of."

Halef raised an eyebrow at this. "Oh?" he said. "What makes you say that?"

"You do all this without payment," she replied. "Emri over yonder" – she gestured with her head toward a nearby fruit stall – "would never give away even a slice for free."

"That's why I don't buy from there," said Halef. "And, anyway, you deserve it."

Yula responded with a tight smile, a shadow falling over her eyes. The old woman had lived long enough to watch every member of her family fall to the Calamity. When a young Halef had heard her story, his mind had been firmly made up.

"But have you heard…?" she said, brightening up. "They're saying Hyrule Castle is free, that Ganon's been defeated." She grinned and nudged him with a bony elbow. "Was it you…? I have no idea how you spend the day – maybe you snuck off to end the Calamity in your free time."

Yula chuckled, and Halef smiled along with her.

"And," the old woman continued. "Vah Naboris. Did you see what happened to Vah Naboris?"

Halef nodded. "Interesting times, indeed." He stood up. "Forgive me, Grandmother, but I must go."

She bowed her head in acknowledgement. "Ah, well," she said. "Same time tomorrow, then."

"Of course."

Halef smiled and moved off. In the distance he saw the outline of Gerudo Town, forbidden to a _voe_ like him – not that they could ever keep _him_ out.

Smile still firmly in place, Halef nodded greetings to the other traders, then rounded one of the stalls and dropped out of sight. The smile dropped as well. He reached into his satchel and pulled out a mask. An inverted Sheikah eye, the paint peeling, stared up at him from the wood.

It looked simple but the reality was far different. The mask was actually a piece of ancient Sheikah tech – when wearing it, no one would be able to see _his_ face, but he would be able to see all, complete with a full tactical readout.

Halef slipped the mask on, and promptly vanished in a cloud of smoke.

He reappeared in a large, darkened hall draped with banners depicting that same inverted eye. Masked, crimson-clad warriors trained with sickles and bows. Some winked in and out of the air in various spots throughout this their new hideout. Others stood and watched, while a few more had lifted their masks to munch on some bananas.

Halef pursed his lips at this last group. As the new leader of the feared Yiga Clan, there were a few changes he wanted to make, and their addiction to that particular fruit was high on his list.

One of the warriors noticed his presence – Halef wore a green ribbon around his wrist, the only marker that signified that he held a different status to the rest - and let fly a sharp whistle to call everyone else to attention.

The Yiga Clan assembled in front of him. Halef studied them all, the glowing display within his mask zooming in and out of each warrior in turn. His second-in-command, a woman named Ragl, stepped forward and bowed her head slightly in respect.

"Master Halef," she said. "The Herald has informed us. Phase One is done."

"I saw," said Halef. "Vah Naboris was enough evidence. Or what's left of it, anyway."

"Yes, Master." Ragl turned to someone behind her who handed over a bundled cloth. She unwrapped it, and presented what lay within to Halef. "For Phase Two."

Halef looked down at an arrow set with a flat, metal head. It glistened with some sort of dark liquid. He held it up, his mask faintly whirring as the optics zoomed in for a closer look. "Did the Herald have anything else to say?"

"Only that we should have called on his services earlier," his lieutenant replied. "When Ganon remained free."

Halef didn't care. Unlike his fellow Yiga, he hadn't left his native Sheikah to join the clan out of any loyalty to Calamity Ganon. He just wanted revenge on the Hylians – had their supposed hero failed, Halef would've found a way to finish the demon himself.

"Is Surar ready?" he asked.

Ragl nodded. "Yes, Master."

"Show me."

Ragl turned on her heel, pointed at one of the Yiga, and snapped her fingers. The warrior dutifully obeyed, vanishing, then reappearing above them. Instead of dropping to the ground as per the usual Yiga practice, Surar just hovered there, bobbing up and down on thin air.

 _Just like Master Kohga._

Halef nodded. "Good. Now we can –"

"What's the point?"

Hushed whispers rippled through the assembled warriors. As Surar slowly descended back to the ground, Halef turned his attention to the one who had spoken out.

"Excuse me?" he said.

"Master Kohga failed," the man said. "Calamity Ganon failed. What, I ask, is the point, _Master_ Halef?"

Another whisper, this time one of agreement, rose up from the Yiga.

Halef glared at them from behind his mask. His hand closed into a fist.

"Master Kohga," he said, "was a blowhard and a fool. And we may have his Herald under our employ, but Calamity Ganon was no friend of ours."

Halef heard a collective gasp. "It's true!" he snapped. "But, so what? Are we not Yiga? Haven't we lived through the indignities the Hylians piled upon us?"

They all looked at him, none daring to reply.

" _Well?"_

A slow murmur followed. "Aye…"

"You don't sound convinced," Halef snarled. "It looks like you've forgotten. Forgotten how the Hylian king banished us when we were mere Sheikah."

"We've not forgotten," someone shot back.

Halef smiled behind his mask. He had them now. "Is that so?"

"Aye." This time there was a lot more force behind their collective voice.

"And for what reason?" said Halef. "What reason did the fat Hylian have for exiling us? Despite all we had done for his family, what was his reason?"

"He feared us!" a female voice cried.

"That's it!" Halef cried, pointing at the Yiga woman. "That's it exactly! He _feared_ us!"

"Aye! _"_

"And do you know what?" said Halef, his voice now gentle. "He was right. _"_

Some of the Yiga started to protest, but Halef cut them off, his voice rising again. "He was _right!_ He should have feared us. For we are _worthy_ to be feared!"

Now they all roared as one. " _Aye!"_

"What's the point you ask?" said Halef. "The point is that we will not allow the insipid, cruel Hylian Royal Family to sit over Hyrule once again." His chest heaved, waiting as the tension grew as taut as a pulled bowstring. "Princess Zelda and her lapdog have had their victory. We will make sure it will be the last one they ever have."

When the Yiga Clan exploded in noise, a grinning Master Halef knew he had their complete loyalty, one and all.

* * *

"Unbelievable," said Zelda as she knelt over the flower.

She gently placed a finger under one petal, a pale blue splash surrounded by a sea of pearl-white. A drop of water glistened on the surface, the last sign of a recent downpour that had turned the ground soft and had given the air a cool, cleansed feel.

Zelda smiled, happily absorbed in her observation. "A silent princess, here, so far from its natural habitat. I would've thought they'd have died out by now."

A light wind blew, sending a spray of settled rainwater up into the air. Zelda found it quite refreshing.

"It's time to go, princess."

Zelda sighed. That was it, then. The spell broken, she had to come back to the moment.

The princess stood up, first brushing the dirt from her knees, then pulling on her tunic to flatten out the creases. Link stood a respectful distance away, right hand clasped over his left wrist.

"I haven't seen Impa in such a long time," she said. After what had happened to the Beasts, Zelda had decided to take a detour to Kakariko. "I'm feeling a tad nervous, you know?"

"You shouldn't be," Link replied. He teased another small smile but didn't wear it well, as though the concept of smiling was utterly alien to him. "You faced down Ganon for an entire century. You're solid gold, princess."

Zelda felt slightly taken aback. Coming from Link, that was quite the powerful statement. Buoyed by his encouraging words, the princess felt her concerns melt clean away and quickly composed herself.

"Straight to the heart of it, as usual," she said. "Thank you, Link."

"It's nothing."

Zelda smiled. This was Link being positively chatty. And with that being the case…

"And what about yourself?" she said. "You've not mentioned how you felt after…after your battle with that demon? I imagine you must be very proud."

"No," he said after a moment's thought. "I felt sad."

Zelda blinked in surprise. "Sad…?"

"A happy kind of sad."

The princess waited for him to elaborate. Link seemed to notice, and duly - if reluctantly - obliged.

"My whole life was for that one moment," he said. "And, well…What's a weapon with no war?"

Zelda stared at him, feeling a profound sense of sadness herself. _What have we done to him…? What have we done to his mind…?_ Her heart tugged at the thought.

"You're more than just a mere weapon, Link…" she said softly.

He turned away slightly, and Zelda knew she'd get nothing more out of him.

The princess looked down the path, looking over to the entrance to Kakariko. She moved off in that direction, deciding to keep to silence herself. As ever, Link followed behind her.

The shadow of drifting clouds passed over the damp earth. Zelda and Link stepped under fluttering pennants that hung from a rope strung high above them. The princess looked around, saw giggling children running in play, traders calling out their wares and people tending to cuccos and crop.

 _So idyllic,_ she thought. _It's like they had no notion of the shadow they were under…_

As though sensing her presence, the Sheikah all turned her way. She saw their eyes widen as they stared and then, one-by-one, the adults each slowly sank to one knee, and bowed their heads.

Zelda swallowed. It wasn't right, this deference. Not after how her ancestors had banished them all.

"Thank you, princess…" one of them said in a hushed voice.

"The Calamity is gone," said another. "Thanks to you. And the hero."

Zelda glanced back at her knight, and saw his gaze cast steadfastly at the ground. He clearly didn't feel comfortable with the attention.

"Please rise," she said as she turned back to the villagers.

Zelda heard the sound of a door opening. Looking up, the princess saw a small, old woman in a large hat emerge from a house with a taller, younger woman and slowly descend a flight of stairs.

Zelda smiled. Despite her aged appearance, she still recognised her old friend. She ran past the villagers as they stood back up and caught the small Sheikah woman in a long, fierce hug.

"You did it," Impa whispered in her ear. "Both of you. We're free."

Zelda released the hug and looked down, blinking away tears.

"It is so good to see you again, my dear," Impa said warmly. She looked over at Link who had made his slow way over as well. "Both of you. I'm so glad you're both still in one piece."

"And it's good to see you," Zelda replied. "You are looking well."

"Oh, please," Impa replied with a dismissive wave. "I'm old now. But look at you. You haven't aged a second."

Zelda looked over at the tall, silver-haired young woman. "I don't believe we've met…?"

Impa bowed her head. "This is my granddaughter, Paya."

"Lady Zelda," said Paya with a curtsy. Her eyes darted over to Link, and a furious blush shot to her cheeks. "M-Master Link!"

Zelda's eyes narrowed.

"Come," said Impa, gently taking her arm. "Walk with me. We have much to discuss."

The old Sheikah began to talk, but Zelda found herself distracted, staring back at Paya. The girl stood next to Link, and seemed to know the knight, though she didn't seem to know herself too well – apparently uncomfortable in her own skin, she averted her eyes whenever Link looked her way. Zelda's own eyes lingered on the two of them -

Until Impa snapped her fingers in front of her face. The princess jumped.

"Are you listening?" the old Sheikah said with a knowing smile.

"Um," said Zelda, flustered. She cleared her throat. "Yes. Of course. Sorry."

A faint mist of rain began to fall as Impa spoke again. "Princess," she said. "Listen carefully. Ganon is gone, and for that we are grateful – but you must have seen what has befallen the Divine Beasts."

"Yes," Zelda replied, nodding vigorously. "That's exactly why we came. And the Sheikah Slate – it's malfunctioning as well."

Impa wore a grave expression. "The danger is not yet over, Lady Zelda," she said. "I have to –"

A scream pierced the air. They spun around to see a masked man in scarlet hovering in the air, bow in hand as he launched fire arrows in all directions. Flames roared up as the arrows hit home. A roof of a shop level to where the archer floated caught alight.

Zelda recognised the mask instantly, and broke into a run, dodging the panicked villagers as she did so, to draw up alongside Link.

"Yiga!" she cried.

Her knight nodded. "I need to take that archer down." He caught her by the wrist and, with a rough yank, pulled her back. "Stay out of sight!"

Link's gaze whipped across to the shop with the burning roof of bamboo. Zelda watched, wide-eyed, as he broke into a sprint towards it and, at the very last moment, leapt. His hand caught the edge of the bamboo at the exact same time as he planted a foot onto the wall. With a cry of ' _Hup!'_ he kicked off with his foot, and the momentum propelled him up onto the roof.

Link's head snapped up, his eyes fixed on the hovering archer. He ran, the sloping bamboo shivering noisily under his every step, his arms up to protect from the flames, then he dived off, straight as a graceful arrow, and into the Yiga warrior. They both crashed into the ground, dirt gouting into the air from the impact.

Link rolled, sprung back to his feet, and whirled around to kick the archer's bow away from the Yiga's grasping fingers. The downed archer yanked a sickle free from his belt and, with reflected flames flashing molten orange off of the steel, swiped at the Hylian knight. Link launched himself into a back-flip so slow that Zelda thought that time itself had contracted.

The Yiga vanished in an explosion of grey smoke the very moment Link landed, and reappeared instantly behind the knight, sickle raised for the kill.

"I think not," said Zelda darkly.

She took a step forward, her arms sweeping forward. Power ran down the entire length of them, then silently blasted out of her palms and into the Yiga warrior's back. He hurtled into the air, a curling trail of steam behind him marking the path where Zelda's energy had burned through the rain.

 _I should have just done that in the first place!_

Zelda started at the creaking sound of a bow growing taut. She spun around, just in time to another of the Yiga – this one with a green band around his wrist - let loose an arrow with an oddly shaped head. It sliced a path through the curtain of rain, heading straight towards –

Zelda gasped. " _No!"_

Emerald light flashed as the arrow bounced off of Impa's head and spun away. She toppled back onto the ground. Both the Yiga vanished in unison, but the princess didn't care. She ran, her boots splashing in the mud, then slid to her knees beside her old friend.

Zelda gently cradled the Sheikah's head as rain hissed all around them. Her eyes searched frantically, but apart from a growing purple welt over Impa's brow, there didn't seem to be any other wound.

A smile crept over the Sheikah's face. "My time…in the light…was always going to be…short."

"No, no, no." Tears fell from the princess's eyes. She shook her head. "Don't…don't die."

Impa chuckled. "I won't…but I-I recognise the heat of this p-poison. It's a...a paraly-"

And then Impa froze solid, lips still parted, eyes in mid-blink.

Zelda's jaw trembled, opening and closing wordlessly.

A whisper of movement made her look up. Paya came to kneel beside the Sheikah Elder and placed her palm over Impa's brow. Link's shadow fell over the both of them as he stepped up to stand beside the princess, and Paya suddenly found the ground of great interest.

"She is not dead, Lady Zelda," she said, still not looking up. "The-the Yiga just wanted to silence her. She's paralysed."

Zelda's shoulders sagged in slight relief. "Then why not just kill her?"

"It's…complicated, my lady," said Paya. "Killing a Sheikah Elder…or really anyone within the village limits, even you had they seen you…it-it would've been a declaration of war from our cousins."

Zelda gaped. "And this isn't?!"

"Like I said," Paya replied gently. "Complicated."

"Different people," said Link, "have different ways." He paused, then added, "I suppose."

Paya nodded vigorously in agreement, and Zelda felt a burn rise to her cheeks.

 _Now I'm being tutored in diplomacy by my own knight…_

The validation from Link seemed to give Paya a boost of confidence. "Kakariko is our sanctuary," she said, "the place we went when we were exiled. It's why the village was left untouched for a hundred years. The Yiga wouldn't even let Ganon's monsters come close." She smiled a crooked smile. "Yes, they thought of ways to _harm_ us – but murder? No, never. I'll take care of her, Lady Zelda. There's nothing we can do except wait it out."

"How long will that be?"

Paya shrugged. "Weeks maybe. Or months."

Zelda looked back toward the village. Steam hissed as the Sheikah villagers put out the fires. It was only then that the princess realised that Paya had spoken truthfully. None of the arrows had struck anyone else, and the fires were being easily managed.

"Forgive me, Paya," she said. "I fear I spoke out of turn." Zelda smiled. "A century away has made me a little out of practice with people."

The young Sheikah woman looked mortified. "No, no!" she spluttered. "You shouldn't have to apologise to _me!"_

"Nevertheless," said Zelda. "I would be grateful if you _would_ teach me of your ways. When we find the time."

Paya lowered her head. "Yes, Lady Zelda."

"Where now, princess?" said Link.

Zelda looked up at Paya with a question in her eyes

"Go," the Sheikah girl said. "I told you, she'll be fine."

"Then we don't change course," said Zelda, her heart heavy. "It's clearly now more imperative than ever that Hyrule stands united. To Zora's Domain we go."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 _Princess Mipha of the Zora cocked her head to one side. "Hmm…" she mused, tapping her lower lip in thought. "Please stop squirming."_

 _Link stood before her, arms outstretched on either side. "How much longer…?"_

" _As long as it takes."_

 _She hummed a happy tune to herself and went about her business with a piece of string. "Hold still," she said, then glanced up with her golden eyes when he fidgeted. "I said hold still, Link."_

 _A long-suffering sigh left the Hylian Champion's lips. "I wish you'd tell me what this was all about, Mipha," he said. "Why do you need to measure me? What's it for?"_

 _Mipha replied in her gentle, carefully modulated voice. ""For someone so quiet, you certainly do ask a lot of questions."_

 _Link relented with another sigh. Mipha smiled. With one foot, she pushed a stool behind him, then perched herself up on top of it, balancing carefully as it wobbled slightly under her weight. Now she could go about measuring his neck._

 _She forced her voice to carry a casual, distracted air, wanting to give the impression that she was utterly unconcerned with whatever answer he would give to her next question._

" _Tell me something, Link," she said. "How do you Hylians go about asking someone to marry?"_

 _The Zora princess saw the knight's neck muscles stiffen ever-so-slightly. She winced, glad to be out of his line of sight. She had wanted this to be subtle, after all._

" _I don't get it," he said._

 _Mipha gave him a playful cuff around the back of his head. "I'm sure even you know what marriage is."_

" _I know what it is," Link insisted, stung. "I don't know why you're asking."_

" _Well," said Mipha. "I was just thinking. Is it the man that asks the woman? Or is it the other way around?"_

" _I…I suppose it's the man who asks," said Link._

" _I see," she replied. "With the Zora, it can be either the male or the female who asks." She paused, then said carefully, "And usually in the form of a very specific, handmade gift."_

 _It was half the truth. Only princesses had to make that particular gift. But she wasn't going to tell him that just yet._

 _Link rolled his shoulders in a slight shrug. "I'm too busy training to know such things, Mipha."_

 _Her resultant smile felt sad. "Too busy with Princess Zelda, you mean."_

" _What?" Link's voice held a hint of alarm. "It's my job. To be with her."_

" _More than you are with anyone else."_

" _What do you mean by that?"_

" _Oh, nothing," the Zora said, her voice gentle. "Just an observation. Fahel Ihadah, as you say."_

 _Link seemed to accept that, letting a silence stretch between them before speaking again in a glum voice. "She resents it, though," he said. "I don't think she likes me at all."_

" _The horror," Mipha teased with a soft chuckle. "I imagine that must come as a complete shock to you."_

 _When Link turned to her with a look on his face that betrayed his complete bafflement, the Zora princess felt her lips twitch, then curl up until she laughed so hard she almost fell off her stool._

/||\

The soothing sound of rushing water accompanied Princess Zelda and her knight Link. Having left their horses back in Kakariko, they walked along the moonlit winding path that led to Zora's Domain. Their mounts wouldn't have been able to traverse the terrain here.

Zelda's voice floated softly in the air. "…And then I read one particular theory that made the _incredible_ claim that all that buried ancient tech had, in fact, not come from this world at all. Can you believe that? Sometimes a scholar's mind can branch out in such fanciful –"

They took a few more steps, the sudden silence punctuated only by the soft clink of Link's weapons, before the knight decided to speak. "Why did you stop?"

"My jaw hurts, Link," she replied. "From talking."

Another moment of silence followed. "I like listening to you," he said at last. "I always have." A beat. "I think."

She turned her head his way and smiled. A memory from her diary came to her at the very moment:

'And still, not a word passes his lips. I never know what he's thinking! It makes my imagination run wild, guessing at what he is thinking but will not say. What does the boy chosen by the sword that seals the darkness think of me? Will I ever truly know?'

And now, more than ever, she wanted the answer, not because she still feared that he despised her, no. Now her fear was that he –

"Look," said Link, cutting into her thoughts. "It's Luto's Crossing."

Zelda peered up ahead, seeing a huge bridge span Zora River up ahead.

"We're close…" Link went on. "But I think we should camp for the night."

With a single nod, the princess gave her assent.

She helped him make the fire – she had to insist that she didn't need him to do everything for her – and then settled down on a bed of snapped reeds for the night. The comforting heat of the flames soon lulled her into sleep's warm embrace…

Zelda awoke to the sound of a shivering breath. She blinked the gumminess from her eyes and turned her head, her long hair falling over her eyes for a moment. She saw the glowing embers of what remained of the fire. Link was sat on the other side, on his knees as he stared out into the distance. His eyes carried a feverish light.

The princess slowly sat up. "Link…?"

He didn't answer, but she could see in the pale moonlight that he was silently quivering.

She tried again. "What's wrong…?"

No answer again.

Alarmed, Zelda quickly stood and stepped past the dying fire to see him better. Still he didn't look her way.

"Are you injured…?" she asked. "Answer me, Link."

He drew his hand up to brush against his chest just above his heart. Zelda knew then that what ailed him wasn't anything physical.

"It never stops," he croaked.

Zelda's mouth dried and she felt a tightening in her chest. Blinking away tears, she raised a hand, thinking to reach out and comfort him – but despite his words, he seemed completely oblivious to her presence.

Instead, Zelda just stood and watched and waited, sleep now nothing more than a distant dream.

* * *

It was still dark when they decided to move on. Link had managed to snatch a few moments of sleep and, after awakening, neither of them mentioned what had transpired earlier in the night. The knight's calm, collected shell had returned, and he had now moved off behind a tree to change. Zelda wondered if he'd even known she'd been there.

Her stomach gurgled from the fish and mushroom skewer he'd made for their makeshift breakfast earlier, and it had heartened her to see him so absorbed in his cooking that he had worn what appeared to be a completely genuine smile.

Zelda looked down at the ground; a particularly smooth stone had caught her eye. She focused, her power blossoming out of her right hand. Slowly she began to work the stone, shaving and carving, her face aglow under the night sky. At first, she hadn't quite known what she'd intended - other than wanting to practise her power - but now she realised she could fashion something out of the stone.

A sword. Yes, a tiny sword. A little trinket to give to Link as a gift. It wasn't much, certainly not when compared to what he'd done, but she just felt compelled, the whim surging up out from her heart.

 _Maybe it would aid him in his melancholia._

Her mind plucked out an idle memory, something about knights who held a token from their beloved upon their person as a reminder, but the princess pushed it out of sight. It had probably come from some song that the castle minstrels had warbled about, certainly not the type of research that _she'd_ ever indulge in.

 _Ta-da!_ she thought, standing back and admiring her work. _It's done!_

As if on cue, Zelda heard a boot scrape behind her, and she turned with a smile.

She froze instantly – it was Link, but now adorned in Zora armour. Where he'd been keeping it, Zelda didn't know, and at the moment didn't care. A slight shudder ran through her heart. The princess may not have been aware of the ways of the Sheikah, but _this_ particular Zora custom was one she _had_ studied.

"I remember…" said Link, looking up. "When she measured me for this."

"I see," Zelda replied, her voice blank.

She took a step backward to cover the miniature stone sword with the sole of her boot. An owl hooted somewhere in the distance.

Link blinked. "Do you know what it's intended for?"

"Yes."

"I never even knew she had made it…"

"You were close," said Zelda quietly. "As far as I understood, that is."

Link looked away. "I don't think I spent all that much time with her."

 _Because of me._

Crickets chirped unseen in the undergrowth. The princess turned away for a moment, noticing the moon's blurry reflection on the surface of the bubbling Zora River, then chided herself inwardly. Link had recovered a memory, and she should be trying to encourage him.

"Well," she said, turning back with a smile. "You know what they say about absence and fondness now, don't you?"

A slight frown creased his features. "That's just it," he said. "I know she was special to me. But I don't know if I felt anything more than that…"

"And if you didn't…?"

Link shrugged. "I don't like the idea of me letting her down."

Zelda studied him for a long moment. Link may have been oblivious to what she'd witnessed earlier in the night, but this here was her knight with his guard completely down. It felt strange. Whatever else she may have been to him, it was clear to Zelda that Mipha still held a key to his heart.

"Come," said Zelda. "King Dorephan awaits. Would you lead the way, please?"

Link nodded, and moved off. Princess Zelda waited a moment, then crouched down to quickly scoop up her tiny sculpture.

 _Not yet,_ she thought as she slipped it into a pouch around her belt. _Now is not the time._

* * *

"She fought bravely, Your Highness," said Zelda. "She did you – and the whole of Hyrule – proud."

The princess stood before the huge throne of King Dorephan of the Zora, surrounded by the crystalline ice structures of Zora's Domain. Everything here was effused with a pale, otherworldly glow that brought delight to the eye. Link stood behind her, leaning on the hilt of the Master Sword, its tip resting point-down on the floor.

Dorephan shaded his eyes with one hand as he listened. One of his advisors, Muzu by name, stood beside him, glaring at Zelda for a reason that she hadn't quite yet fathomed.

"From the faint connection I had with her through my magic," she continued. "I know that it pained her to cause you any worry." She swallowed. "And that her dearest wish was that she could see you one last time."

The Zora king raised his hand to reveal eyes glistening with tears. "Ah, princess…" he said. "Thank you. Thank you for this." He sniffed. "And you say her spirit is free now…? It's just that I saw what happened to Vah Ruta…"

"Yes, Your Highness," Zelda replied. She motioned back with her head. "Link here saved her from what blighted the Beast."

The King looked over at the Hylian knight with a smile. "Link. Link, my boy." He sighed. "I knew you would come for her. If anyone would, you would."

Link bowed his head. "She would've done the same for me."

"Yes," said Muzu. "Yes, she would."

Zelda took a step forward. "Your Highness," she said. "I have grave news."

The giant form of the king puffed up in alarm. "Calamity Ganon?" he boomed. "He still lives?!"

Zelda quickly shook her head. "It's the Yiga Clan."

"Ah," the Zora replied. "Those scoundrels."

"They attacked Impa –" Dorephan bristled at this and Zelda moved quickly to reassure him "- Don't worry, she'll fine, or so I'm told – but I believe they are planning something."

"Are they behind what happened to Vah Ruta…?"

Zelda blinked, not having considered the idea until the king had just mentioned it. "Possibly," she conceded.

The princess readied herself for what she wanted to say next. They'd arrived at the Domain early in the morning, but had been kept waiting the whole day for to be granted this audience and, as night had crept up on them once again, she had felt her anxiety grow with every passing moment.

"Your Highness," she said. "I have a request of you, if I may…?"

King Dorephan raised a hand. "Proceed."

The princess then took a short breath. This was it. "I would very much like to bring Hyrule back to the peace and stability we had before the Calamity struck. I believe we should be united as one – Goron, Rito, Zora, Gerudo and Hylian – and together we can withstand whatever plot the Yiga Clan have devised." She kept her eyes on him. "I ask that you be the first to make the pledge."

There was a long moment before King Dorephan replied. "United," he said. "And pledge allegiance to…you?"

"Well," Zelda replied, suddenly flustered. "N-naturally."

The great throne creaked as King Dorephan leaned back. "Princess…you know I have held you, your father – nay, your entire family – in great esteem."

Zelda tensed, waiting for the inevitable ' _but'._

"And if you were to re-establish a small domain for the Hylians from your castle, we would not oppose you," the Zora went on. "But the last time we stood united did not prevent the coming of the Calamity. Did not stop a century of suffering." He held her gaze, and gave a small, apologetic smile. "As such, some of the more… _elder…_ members of my council now value our independence."

Zelda moved to reply, but Link surprised her by speaking up first.

"The princess spent that entire century making sure Ganon would stay trapped in the castle," he said. "So that you – and everyone else- wouldn't be wiped out."

"And we the Zora are, of course, grateful," Dorephan shot back. "Grateful to you both. You, Link, wear that trident on your back as a token of that. And we are grateful, too, that the princess finally sealed the monster. If it was my decision to take alone I would have considered it." He took a deep breath. "But we lost our heart." His voice turned sad. "We lost our Mipha."

Zelda felt lost herself. All those years of studying, and _this –_ the politics of the court – was the one thing she'd missed. She didn't know what to do or say to make the Zora king change his mind. The familiar sense of failure began to creep up on her.

"I…understand," she said instead, her voice strained. "But what of the Yiga…?"

"Last I heard, they had scurried back to their nest in the desert," Dorephan replied. "Perhaps Riju of the Gerudo can assist you…?"

Princess Zelda nodded in mute helplessness. She knew a dismissal when she heard one. _How could I have been so naïve?_ she thought. _To think that things would go back to the way they were just because I wished it to._

"My dear," said the king. "I hope this does not cause any hard feelings between us. I truly _am_ grateful for all you've done. In fact, I insist that you spend the night here in the Domain."

"That's very kind," said Zelda quietly. "But I really don't want to impose."

"Nonsense," said the king. "It's the least we could do. Plus my son Sidon will return from a trip in the morning. He would very much like to meet the hero again."

Zelda bowed her head in acknowledgement.

"Excellent." Dorephan turned to his advisor. "Muzu – please take the princess and the hero to their chambers."

Alone with her thoughts, Zelda followed the smaller Zora deeper into the Domain, Link trailing behind the both of them. Other Zora, hushed and staring, parted to allow them clear passage. A tangy scent hung in the air, like what she'd once experienced when she'd visited the harbour with her father and watched the fishing trawlers come in to port.

The trio passed a looming statue of Princess Mipha and Zelda wondered at how the soft-spoken Champion was still making her presence felt in their lives. She glanced back to see Link's gaze linger on the statue and felt an inexplicable sense of desolation darken her already low mood. Turning back, they moved on a while more until Muzu came to a stop at a fork in the path.

"Please wait here, Lady Zelda," he said. "I will show the hero his room, then return for you."

Her appointed knight hesitated, but Zelda waved him on. "Go, Link," she said. "I'll be fine."

She watched them go, then turned to survey her surroundings. Water trickled and gushed everywhere, from fountains that marked the way to streams that ran down some of the paths. Even the ground beneath her boots was slick with the stuff, though her footing always felt completely secure. And despite all the damp, it didn't feel cold in the slightest. She'd love to study the plans for the Domain, and wondered what kind of wildlife thrived in such an environment.

It felt good to keep her thoughts away from politics. She looked up to see dancing waves cast shimmering shadows over the crystal walls. So hypnotic was this that the princess didn't even notice that Muzu was again standing before her.

"Oh!" she said, startled. Zelda smiled quickly. "Shall we be off, then…?"

Muzu didn't move. He stared, cold eyes in his flattened head boring into Zelda's so intently that she took an unconscious step backwards.

"Is…" she said, her voice cracking. "Is anything the matter…?"

Muzu snarled. "You will not replace Lady Mipha's place in the hero's heart."

Zelda recoiled in surprise, her hand rising to her chest. "I…I had no intention to."

"You _did,"_ the Zora said, leaning in uncomfortably close. "I can see it in your eyes."

Message delivered, Muzu turned on his heel and pointed. "Down the covered corridor," he spat. "First room on your right."

He brushed past her, leaving Zelda alone in the passageway. "Thank you," she said glumly.

She closed her eyes for a moment, and allowed a long, deep breath to escape her lips. After all that all Zelda wanted to do now was just fall asleep. She approached the room Muzu had indicated and reached for the doorknob –

When the door itself swung open on squeaking hinges. Link stood there, a finger to his lips.

She knew him enough to know that this wasn't some attempt at illicit impropriety. Her knight had spotted something untoward.

Zelda acknowledged the gesture with a short nod, then watched as Link's eyes tracked around the darkened room. Her heart slowed, booming loud in her ears, and it felt like her very breath had stopped.

Link crept deeper into the room, one hand raised in readiness to go for his sword. Zelda followed slowly, watching as her knight turned from left to right, taking in the bed, dresser and wardrobe – then stopped.

Zelda stopped, too, eyes fixed on the wardrobe. She felt her every nerve tingle, her every muscle grow taut. She couldn't even let herself blink.

Link approached the closet –

And then he spun around just as a Yiga warrior appeared in the air above him. Link's raised hand formed a fist in an instant and he managed to catch the attacker with a quick swing. He then sprinted back to Zelda, shoved her out into the corridor beyond and slammed the door shut.

"Link!" she cried. "Open the door this instant!"

She twisted the knob, but all that did was make the door rattle violently in its frame. _Locked!_ The princess grit her teeth in frustration. _I do not need to be nursemaided!_

The sounds of a fight rang within the room – grunts, the splintering of wood, the dull thud of punches thrown. Close-quarters combat, then. From the little research she'd done on the subject, she guessed that Link was trying to stop the Yiga from teleporting out here and didn't have the space to draw a weapon.

Zelda took a step back and raised her palms. The door shattered in two when her power met it, and hot splinters drizzled down all around her.

Inside, she saw the Yiga look up in surprise – and Link took advantage, reaching up to draw his Zora Trident. With a quick sprint, he then lunged in to skewer the attacker.

And then Zora guards rushed into the corridor, and the shouting began.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 _The rain fell from a sky smeared by grey. Princess Zelda had fallen to her knees, surrounded by a swirling wind that shook the trees all around them. Despair tore through her voice._

 _"So I really am just a failure!"_

 _Link, perched on a log, gazed down at her wordlessly, his calm blue eyes fixed on her face._

 _"All my friends..." she went on. "The entire kingdom...my father most of all...I tried, and I failed them all..." Her voice dropped. "I've left them all...to die."_

 _Her own words were the knife that cut through the dam of her heart. Princess Zelda flung herself into her knight's embrace and wept bitter tears that soaked into the fabric of his already sodden tunic._

 _That's where the memory ended. Perhaps her sense of failure and despair had been so seared into her mind that she had blocked out everything else._

 _Or perhaps it was the guilt, the fact that though she now had her power to stand as the last line of defence against Calamity Ganon, it had come too little, too late to save all those lost lives._

 _Or perhaps…what had happened next had teased her with such promise and hope that she dared not remember it._

 _Whatever the case, after she had sealed Ganon away, it had all come rushing back to her…_

 _As she had cried into his lap, Zelda knew Link would offer no words of comfort, and she didn't care. But when his hand came to rest upon her head, she felt the tempest in her heart abate for a moment. Then his touch slowly ran through her hair in a way that wasn't right or proper, but sent a tingle down her spine nonetheless. His hand came to rest on her cheek._

 _Tears exhausted, all Zelda had left were sniffs and hiccups. She raised a trembling hand to meet his. Their fingers grasped for each other – his rough and callused; hers streaked with mud - and when she looked up to meet his gaze, her heart responded with a surge of emotion that words couldn't ever convey…_

/||\

Zelda paced barefoot, the carpet beneath tickling.

"Why are they keeping us waiting?" she fumed. "Whatever could be taking so long...?"

They'd been moved to another chamber in Zora's Domain and had been left there waiting to be summoned again by King Dorephan. The princess hated it. Mostly because it left her alone with her thoughts, and whenever that happened, her mind played tricks on her, whispering promises of both hope and despair.

"The Yiga," she said. "What is it that they want…?"

Zelda shook her head, and her damp fell across her face. She'd been given a chance to bathe in a private steam chamber. That had been something at least.

"What am I saying?" she went on. "I _know_ what they want. Clearly their wish is to kill me." The idea didn't chill her as much as she thought it would. "But why silence Impa?"

The princess paced some more. "Do you think..." she said, her voice shivering slightly. "Do you think this attack will make King Dorephan reconsider my proposal...?"

No reply came and, for once, a spark snapped into life within her. Zelda whirled around. "Answer me!"

Link looked up, startled, the instant he heard her address him. He sat on the floor, his back against the wall, his Champion's tunic freshly pressed. The Zora were nothing if not hospitable.

Candlelight fluttered next to him, casting a faint glow in the darkened room. Glowing pinpricks shone in his eyes from the reflected light. Eyes that now grew wide in surprise.

Regret twisted Zelda's heart. "I'm...sorry," she said. "I should not have taken my frustrations out on you."

"I understand," he replied.

For some reason, that just chafed even more. Why was he just so accepting…?

Be gentle, that's what Impa had said. To avoid hurting his mind any further. And the last thing Zelda wanted to do was hurt him.

 _He's all I have..._

Still, though. There _was_ one thing she needed to discuss with him.

"Link," she said. "A word, if I may."

He waited, and she readied herself. "Your desire to protect me is -" _Sweet,_ said her traitorous mind. "-admirable _,_ " she said out loud.

"Duty," he said. "It's not a whim."

"I can see that," she replied. "But know that I held out against Calamity Ganon unaided and alone. You said it yourself. You do not need to treat me like a mere child, scouting on ahead at the slightest approach of danger."

The knight bowed her head. "Yes, princess."

Zelda's hands curled into fists. Was that it...? How could someone so full of courage not stand his ground and argue his case?

"Can you not just call me by my name?" she said, with a lot more heat than she intended. "Not even once?"

He stared, blinking in silence.

Zelda took a step toward him. Her jaw was starting to ache again.

"We are equals now," she said. "You heard Dorephan – there is no Hylian royalty any more. No hierarchy that has to bind you to the old ways. There doesn't have to be this... _this -"_ She made a vague gesture with her hands "-between us."

She was breathing heavily, chest heaving. A knot in her heart unravelled. "I need your counsel," she said. "As a friend."

"And I need you to be safe," Link replied.

Zelda pushed a strand of her hair behind one ear. "Link," she said. "If anything should happen to me -"

"Then I'll have no one." An awkward smile crept over his face that softened his features. "As brave as you are, that does not make you immortal."

Zelda stared, swallowing, then felt a smile of her own come to her lips. He'd used her own words against her - but that was good. It meant that particular memory - where he'd thrown himself into battle against some monsters and she'd had to tend to his wounds afterward – had strengthened in his mind.

Zelda felt a swell of tenderness and knelt down in front of him. She wanted to reach out again, to touch him, and she wasn't sure what exactly was holding her back. After all, she'd clung to his chest and shed tears over him when she'd believed he was dead at a Guardian's hand.

And then she saw it, the shadow in his eyes, and she knew why. The memory of what she'd seen the other night returned.

"Link..." she said softly.

"Yes, princess...?"

"How do you feel?"

His brow wrinkled. "I don't understand."

"How do you _feel?_ " she asked again. She raised her hand to her own chest, just above her heart. "Inside."

His eyes widened slightly, then he glanced away.

 _That's the end of that, then._ She decided on a different approach.

"How do you do it, Link…?" she said in a gentle voice. "Look at me and look at you. I've twisted myself into such a desperate state and you – you're always so calm."

His eyes found hers again. "You're not in a state," he replied. "Your passion. It's inspiring."

Zelda cocked her head to one side. "How do you mean…?"

He parted his lips to reply - when a sharp rap came at the door.

Link stood up in a flash and moved across to the door. Zelda stared at the empty space he'd left behind and then, with a sigh, drew herself slowly up to her feet as well.

She heard her knight open the door. "Prince Sidon," he said.

"Link!" someone replied. "Well-met, young hero!"

The deep, confident voice made Zelda turn - and she stopped, staring. Tall, broad-shouldered and sporting a winning smile, the scarlet-skinned Zora prince was…rather quite handsome.

 _For an aquatic being, that is..._

Sidon caught her looking and Zelda quickly averted her eyes.

"And who," said Sidon as he slowly walked into the room to approach her, "is this exquisite creature...?"

The prince took her hand and gently brought it to his lips.

"I'm..." she said, fighting hard to keep her composure. Courtly protocol returned to her, and she noisily cleared her throat. "I am Princess Zelda Hyrule, daughter of King Rhoam Bosphoramus Hyrule."

"Why…" Sidon replied, grinning, "our famous saviour herself. Splendid! I am so honoured. And who knew she had such enchanting eyes...?"

His grin widened, his own eyes gazing intently.

Zelda's mind went blank - and so she did what she always did when she found herself at a loss for words: She started reciting titles of famous works in her head, dry academic tomes like...like...

 _The Peculiar Properties of Interspecies Mating._

Zelda winced inwardly. _No, no, no, not_ _ **that**_ _one!_

And then the spell broke when Link stepped in between them.

 _Was that deliberate...?_ She noticed that her tunic now clung to a sudden film of sweat on her skin. Probably just an after-effect of her steam bath. At least, that's what she told herself.

"Yes...?" asked Link.

"You've been summoned by my father, the king," said the prince. "Worry not about him, though. I believe in you - both of you!"

He punched the air and flashed a smile that caught the candlelight and made his teeth sparkle. Zelda started to wonder if the Zora had been enchanted with some sort of glamour. Perhaps that's why he couldn't stop smiling.

"Princess Zelda," said Sidon, with a theatrical bow. "Would you like to walk with me?"

"Um," she replied. "Thank you, but that will not be necessary. I will walk behind Link. As he is my, ah, sworn protector, I require him to, um, scout on ahead for any possible danger."

She completely ignored the incredulous look Link threw her way.

"I knew it!" said Sidon. "He seems just the type!"

Her knight still stood as a barrier between her and the prince, and Zelda took the opportunity to slip into her shoes.

Link looked at Prince Sidon. "Lead on," he said dryly.

* * *

It wasn't often that Master Halef of the Yiga Clan felt the clutch of fear, but standing here before this particular door had him on edge. No one but the Yiga master and his deputy were permitted into this room – in fact, Master Kohga had spent so much time in here that it had unbalanced his mind.

Halef wasn't about to let that happen to him. That still didn't stop him feeling nervous, though. Not that he was going to show it in front of Ragl. His lieutenant stood beside him, silent with her own thoughts.

"Don't be afraid, Ragl," he said, trying to force as much false bravado into his voice as he could muster. "The Herald can't do anything without my say."

"I'm not afraid," she replied quietly.

Halef nodded, pleased. "Then let's proceed."

Master Halef opened the door and entered the darkened room. There were no windows here, nothing but the four walls and the bare, wooden floor coated in dust. That, and the rattling of chains accompanied by a steady, wheezing sound of something breathing.

The Herald of Ganon looked up at their approach. He hung suspended in the air, wrists and ankles bound to chains that led to the room's roof and floor. His eyes sunk into a weathered and wizened face and he wore a simple, plain grey cloak.

 _Ancient._ That was the only word that came to Halef's mind whenever he saw the creature.

How Master Kohga of all people had captured this _thing,_ Halef never knew. It had claimed to speak for the Demon King itself. Kohga – the fool - had taken it at its word, and had prepared the clan accordingly.

 _But not before using magically reinforced chains to keep it imprisoned…_

And despite that, Halef still feared the being.

Not only did the Herald know all about Sheikah tech, it had a degree of influence over it as well. Since becoming Yiga Master, Halef had used that knowledge well – unlike Kohga who had lacked the imagination to do anything when the Calamity had been still active. Halef did wonder, though, just how much of a connection to the Sheikah this 'Herald of Ganon' actually had.

"Is it done?" said a cold, harsh voice.

Halef stared as he always did. He could see the Herald just fine, but the tech in his mask, no matter how much data it analysed or which frequency it tried, detected nothing.

"Phase Three is underway," he said in reply. "Ragl here let the prisoner go as planned. My Yiga will spread the necessary whispers through the towns and markets of Hyrule."

Another rattling breath rolled through the air. "I hear that there was an incident," it said, its chains clinking. "Over in Zora's Domain. Was this on your orders?"

"No," Halef replied quickly. "He acted independently."

Despite his earlier confidence over their loyalty, it seemed that there were still some of the Yiga who felt free to disobey him.

"I hope you've dealt him the appropriate punishment, then."

"No need," said the Yiga master. "The hero ended him."

"Make sure this doesn't happen again," the Herald replied. "Princess Zelda must fall, but not like this. This would make her a martyr. It could rally the people."

"Agreed," said Halef.

"The _hero,_ on the other hand," the ancient voice said slowly. "He is fair game."

Anticipation prickled within Master Halef. _This_ is all he cared about from this meeting. "I'll get my best warriors on to it," he said. "But I was wondering – he is a formidable foe. Do you have anything that could –"

A rasping chuckle followed from the Herald. Halef felt the clammy hand of unease.

"You do that," said the disembodied voice. "You call your best warriors. But I want you to take the lead on this."

"Me? But –"

"Isn't it the master's wish to be rid of the hero?" said the Herald. "As you say, I can but only assist…"

"It is-"

"Excellent."

Master Halef's eyes widened as a faint golden-orange glow enshrouded his right arm. "What?" he gasped. "What is this…?"

He heard a gasp behind him and, with a quick turn of his head, saw that Ragl's arm had been likewise entrapped by magical light.

Halef's heart pounded. " _What are you doing?!"_

"A token to show my faith in you," the Herald replied.

Streams of thin blue energy began to wind around Halef's arm. He recognised the signature and felt some of his disquiet ease. It wasn't painful what was happening, he just hadn't expected it.

"Guardian tech…?"

"Bring the warriors you speak of," the Herald wheezed. "Bring them to me, and I shall grant you _all_ the same gift. I shall grant you what you need to overcome Hyrule's Chosen One."

It ended, and both Halef and Ragl found their arms coated fully in the ancient Guardian technology. Halef stared down at it, marvelling at the thrum of its power while, at the same time, dismayed by the sheer weight. He flexed his covered fingers. Energy crackled and hummed.

 _I will not be cowed!_

Halef turned back to the door, raised his arm, and pushed with his mind.

The Guardian tech glowed pink for a heartbeat, a rising hum building-up slowly – and then a blast shot from his arm and incinerated the door in an instant. He stared, eyes wide behind his mask.

Ragl turned to the Herald. "What…" she said. "What _are_ you?"

A harsh, raspy laugh was the creature's only reply.

* * *

Princess Zelda and her knight Link, this time accompanied by Prince Sidon, stood before King Dorephan and Muzu in the throne room once again.

"Preposterous," boomed the king. "Outrageous. Unacceptable. How dare these Yiga make such an affront in my very own home?!"

"Quite," said Muzu. His footsteps rang out against the polished floor as he came to stand directly in front of the princess. "But I'd like to take this opportunity to address the elephant in the room."

Prince Sidon inhaled sharply. "Vah Ruta, _here_?" he said. "Worry not! The hero and I will make sure the Beast causes no harm!"

Muzu's eyes flicked over to the prince and spoke through clenched teeth. "Not. _That._ Elephant."

Sidon chuckled. "I merely spoke in jest, Muzu," he said. "You are far too serious sometimes."

"Muzu," the king cut in, apparently tired of his son's frivolity himself. "What is it you wanted to say...?"

The Zora advisor turned his attention back to Zelda. "That this would not have happened," he said. "If the princess had not even been here."

Anger shot up from Zelda's heart and spilled out onto her tongue. "Does this not show that we are better off united?!" she snapped. "Nowhere is safe from the Yiga!"

"If it's a union you want," Muzu hit back, his voice just as hot. "Then perhaps we should do it the old fashioned way. You are unattached, our prince here still needs a bride – so I propose a marriage to cement a new political alliance. What do you say?"

Link was the first to answer. "No."

"No," Zelda agreed.

"I, for one," said Prince Sidon, "am game."

Muzu leaned in so close to the princess that she felt the warmth of his breath. " _No?_ " he said, barely above a whisper. "And why is that? Did you have…someone _else_ in mind?"

Zelda glared back in defiance, but couldn't stop the heat rising all the way to her ears.

"Enough," said King Dorephan. "Princess Zelda is not at fault here, Muzu. She is my guest and you will not treat her so."

The Zora advisor stepped back and bowed his head. "Yes, my liege."

"And, additionally, the princess is still but seventeen," the Zora king continued. "Whilst our Sidon has decades on her. They are not to be matched."

Zelda held her tongue. She didn't like having her young age mentioned so casually – and, really, she had a century to add to those seventeen years, though she knew Dorephan wouldn't see it that way. It was the life experience he was referring to.

 _Is that, I wonder, his true reason for not wanting to pledge himself to me…?_

"Princess Zelda," said the king. "I…actually had a different purpose for calling you here."

Zelda frowned. Even Muzu looked confused. Anxiety began to bubble in her heart and, without even realising she was doing it, she glanced back at Link for support. Her knight responded with a short nod.

"There has been a whisper on the wind," said the king. "A piece of news, in truth."

"News…?" she said. "What news, Your Highness?"

Dorephan took a deep breath. "I shall not mince words," he said. "But you must know. There has been another claim to the Hylian throne of Hyrule."

Zelda stared, stunned. She felt the world begin to spin around her. "Another…" She blinked. "Another…" Finally all her courtly manner vanished. " _What?!"_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 _Sunlight poured in through the window of King Rhoam's study and turned the scroll clutched in his hand gold._

" _Has this been confirmed…?" he said, his voice hushed._

 _An advisor, standing a respectful distance away, bowed his head. "As good as, sire," he replied. "At the very least your brother is…missing, if not worse. His visit to the Gerudo did not work out as expected."_

 _Rhoam looked up from the parchment. In the courtyard below he saw one of the tentacled Guardians. His workers crawled over it like ants._

" _We weren't that close," he said._

" _Be that as it may," his advisor replied. "There is now a question of what happens to the succession plan. As your only living male relative, your brother was –"_

" _I know what he was," King Rhoam cut in. A movement on the battlements caught his eye. Zelda appeared, wearing a long dress of navy blue trimmed with gold, and accompanied by her knight Link. "I know what the plan was."_

" _The princess –"_

" _Isn't ready." The king felt his anger begin to rise as he watched the animated manner in which Zelda reacted to the work being done on the Guardian. "She is my heir, true. But I always imagined her to inherit the throne when she had matured. When both myself and Skyr had passed on."_

 _That was the plan, after all. His brother Skyr was a talented diplomat and, in the event of Rhoam's passing, would have been the last living male, just as his advisor had said. Skyr had no desire for power himself, but he had agreed, should the need arise, to take the throne on an interim basis to guide Zelda in the ways of the court – an education she dearly lacked._

 _All Rhoam's daughter ever wanted to do was study the ways of the ancients – their herbology, their history and most of all, their technology. She wasn't even devoting her time to unlocking her own sealing power, never mind learning how to build ties with the other people of Hyrule._

 _King Rhoam took one last look down at Zelda as she spoke to her knight, and then turned around._

" _Sire…?" asked his advisor._

" _I would have words with my daughter," he said. "Enough is enough."_

/||\

"My uncle, alive," said Princess Zelda. "How could this be..?"

She swayed side-to-side in the saddle of her white steed as it trotted toward the stable. Link followed behind, astride his own mount. Its ears twitched as he spoke soothing words.

Zelda saw a handful of Hylians - a few men, two women and some children - trotting around the small settlement ahead. Even at this distance she could see a fair amount. A cooking pot rattled over a fire, for example, and another lay discarded on its side, cold grease glistening within.

"They say he's rallying people to his cause already," she said, mostly to herself. Her knight already knew all the details. "He always knew how to weave words to sweeten people to his side. But I never imagined he had a craving for the throne itself. It just doesn't make sense!"

Zelda's sense of failure stung ever stronger. She hadn't managed to rally _anyone_ to her cause - not the Zora, and certainly not the handful of Hylians she'd met already on their travels.

Her uncle – if it was truly him – had reappeared in the hot sands of Gerudo desert, the same place where he'd vanished all those years ago. That's where she and Link were headed now. Zelda didn't think it a coincidence that was where the Yiga made their home as well.

Zelda sighed, then looked over at Link. "I don't know what to do," she said, her voice shivering. "I don't even know if I want to do this anymore."

Link shook his head. "Don't say that."

"I never fathomed that the task at hand would overwhelm me so," she said. "Holding Calamity Ganon at bay was easier than _this_!"

She knew she was being childish, but Link indulged her with his usual semi-smile and she felt glad.

Zelda faced front once more. "Oh, but you must be so weary of listening to all my problems."

"I'm not," Link replied, just like she'd known he would. Sometimes she wasn't above fishing for an encouraging word from him.

"It's important," he went on. "You need to be strong."

"No, Link," she insisted with a quick shake of her head. "You are important, too. We must continue to work on retrieving your memories. In fact, is there anything you would like to ask…?"

She'd posed the question as she'd usually done, without any hope of a proper response. This time, though, Link decided to surprise her.

"My father," he said.

The princess turned to stare at him. "I…" she said. He gazed back with his patient, blue eyes. "Certainly. Let's settle in first, shall we…?"

Zelda brought her ride to a stop in front of the stables and dismounted. The Hylians there looked up with a vague air of disinterest.

The princess heard the metallic tinkle of reins behind her and knew that Link had dismounted as well.

She swept her gaze around to take everything in – the pens for the horses, the fire that burned under a pot and the single building, draped with skins and cloth held aloft by wooden poles, that doubled as an inn.

"I am Princess Zelda Hyrule," she said, voice raised.

Eyes stared back at her, some bemused, others _a_ mused.

"I have come –"

"To rent a room, I hope," a man cut in. "Business has been slow, and I could do with the rupees."

The others chuckled.

Zelda pursed her lips and took a long look at the Hylians. Their ragged clothes fluttered in the breeze and their eyes were hard within their weathered faces. The reaction she'd received here was a far cry from the hushed awe she'd been given in Kakariko, but so far every Hylian she'd encountered had greeted her with the same sense of detachment; one that morphed into confusion the moment she ever introduced herself.

 _One hundred years,_ she mused. _The time has grown so long that it matters little now whether Ganon holds sway or not – if it ever truly did. My Hylians have other cares._

Her horse shook its head with a whinny. She placed a placating palm on his neck. Her own head began to hurt as well, her myriad concerns and burdens threating to burst out violently from within.

She'd thought it would have all ended with the sealing of the Calamity. She could now see that it wouldn't.

The princess turned to her knight. "A pair of rooms, Link," she said in a low voice. "And see that our horses are well-tended to."

He bowed his head. "Yes, princess."

* * *

Zelda opened the single window to her room to let in some air. As the cool breeze caressed her skin, she saw one of the Hylian women not too far away attending to some crops.

The princess turned to see Link standing there with his back to the window. She'd invited him to her room, of course. Just to answer his question.

 _Had it even been a question…?_

Zelda shook the thought away. She steeled her nerves, then moved over to face him.

"Your father," she said, "served in the royal guard like yourself. He was a knight, an _appointed_ knight." She paused as she felt long-dormant emotions begin to stir. "Pledged to the queen."

"To your mother."

Zelda nodded. She gazed at the wooden floor, not wanting to meet his eyes with what she had next. "They…were the first to be attacked when the Bokoblins appeared from out of nowhere. The two of them were in Hyrule Field when it happened." A slight shudder overcame her voice. "Your father fought valiantly, or so I'm led to believe. He died trying to protect her." Her voice dropped. "She herself did not last too long thereafter. The Bokoblins showed no mercy."

Raw pain choked her heart. It wasn't often that she thought of her mother. The involvement of Link's father – no matter how brave - had been one reason why Zelda had resented the boy when he'd first been assigned to her.

Zelda hadn't wanted to rely on anyone for her protection.

She looked up at her knight with wide eyes. His face held no hint that her tale had stirred up any emotions at all. She gently placed her palm on his chest. The strong, steady beat of his heart thumped under her touch.

"Tell me what's wrong," she said. "Tell me truly."

His face hardened in such a way that Zelda actually felt a tremor of fear. But it passed just as quickly as it had appeared, and her knight's lips curved up. "It's not something you should concern yourself with, princess."

 _No,_ thought Zelda as Link made to leave. _Not this time._

The princess drew herself up to her full regal height. "I command it."

Link froze. There. He had no choice now.

She watched as the bulge in his throat bobbed up and down. He averted his eyes before he spoke, as though ashamed by what he was going to reveal.

"I'm…cold inside," he said.

"Cold?"

A slight flush rose to his face. "Hollow," he said quietly. "All the time."

Zelda stared. She'd suspected this, but not to this depth.

She knew about melancholia, of course; she'd experienced it herself, had wrote about it in her diary, but her readings had taught her of a type that ate away ceaselessly at a person's soul. So much so that they put up a wall to a joyless world.

"How long…?" she asked, her voice barely more than a whisper.

"A while, I think." He still couldn't bring himself to look at her. "It was there a hundred years back, too."

Is that what all his experiences had resulted in…? Is this why he threw himself so deeply – and, on occasion, recklessly - into his appointed role…?

Regret filled Zelda's heart. Impa had told her to be gentle, and now that she'd told Link about his father, she'd probably made things worse.

"Link," she said. "If you want, I can release you from your vow. With my father gone, I alone have that authority. I see now that you have given up far too much to be by my side. You must be allowed to live your life."

He stiffened, finally looking up with eyes widening in alarm. Zelda, her hand still on his chest, even felt the quickening beat of his heart. Her words began to sound flighty and childish to her own ears.

"I don't want that," said Link, taking a step toward her. "And being by your side is where I belong."

"But…" she said, feeling a little lost as she gazed up into his eyes. "But why…?"

"I told you," said Link. "This has been with me a long time. And being your knight was the only thing that made it…made it bearable."

An emotion she couldn't explain clutched her heart. She felt a tingle of anticipation.

Had he ever spoken this much to her before, she wondered?

"That's…" She had to swallow to allow her tongue to untangle. "That's not an explanation."

 _Has he ever stood this close to me…?_

"It's all I should say, princess," he replied. "You're royalty. And I'm…I'm just me."

"Link," she breathed, her eyes fixed on his. "Are you…remembering..?"

"I-"

The corner of her eye saw the bright flash of energy come through the window at the very last moment. "Link! Move!"

He whirled around, drawing the Master Sword in one single, swift movement, and deflected the attack with a two-handed swipe. Crackling energy met enchanted steel. The force of the blow threw them both through the door, tearing it off its hinges, and out into the inn's foyer.

Link was up first, grabbing her wrist and dragging her up with a yank. They both stared. The Hylians - now stood before them masked and each clad in crimson.

Zelda's free hand curled into a fist. The bright white glow of her power cloaked it within a heartbeat.

"What do you want?" she demanded.

A chorus of whispered steel was the only reply. The Yiga had drawn their sickles. Now there was only silence.

A scarlet-gloved finger trembled in anticipation. Link's own fingers flexed around the hilt of his blade. Zelda's throat tightened.

Link raised the Master Sword so that the point faced straight up. The blade began to hum with an incandescent blue glow. The Yiga hesitated, confused – and then the knight swiped, sending a beam of energy spinning up into the ceiling, shattering the wooden boards above.

The Yiga all flinched as one.

And Link broke into a run, pulling Zelda along with him. She risked a glance over her shoulder and frowned. One of the warriors that strode out in pursuit raised an arm that shone with the tell-tale glow of Guardian tech. Before she could even chase the thought, the Yiga vanished.

Her eyes snapped forward. They were out in the open now, the green-carpeted land rising and falling all around them with its peaks and troughs. A whistling wind knifed at their clothes. Zelda felt her skin prickle at how exposed they were.

"Where to?!" she cried.

"There." Link pointed.

It was a small forest standing under the sunlight. They headed that way –

When a Yiga warrior popped out of thin air in a bubble of smoke.

"No!" Zelda shouted.

Instinct made her throw up her hand. Power blasted out from her palm and ploughed into their attacker. The Yiga spun away like a rag doll.

They ran, and reached the forest within seconds. Tall trees streaked with white surrounded them with claustrophobic closeness. Link stopped, pressing his back against a trunk, and indicating to Zelda that she do the same.

Link's eyes slowly tracked their surroundings. His left hand held the Master Sword and his right still clutched to Zelda's. The princess tried to steady her breathing and took a look around herself. Sunlight flitted in from above. A flutter of wings signified a bird flying from one tree to another. Something hooted.

Nothing. No new attack came.

The magic wrapped around Zelda's free hand pulsed even stronger. This was _not_ over.

The air shifted – and then a sword-wielding Yiga emerged out of thin air. Zelda felt Link's grip on her hand vanish as he spun around to face the attack. The Yiga jabbed; and Link twisted away in a dodge. Steel rang when the knight quickly swatted aside a second attack. The Yiga lunged in for a third attempt, but this time he overreached, leaving himself open for Link to thrust the Master Sword home.

Zelda let out a breath. The entire fight had spanned just a matter of seconds.

Another flash came, and the earth between the princess and her knight erupted in a series of small explosions as a rapid-fire blitz of Guardian energy cut into the ground.

A shockwave knocked Zelda off her feet. She heard a muffled cry of _"Princess!"_

Pain flashed in her head as she hit the ground hard. Smoke started to fill her line of sight. The princess pulled herself back onto her feet, coughing as the acrid heat of the air hit the back of her throat. She stumbled on, her eyes searching. Dirt now stained her blue tunic and -

The faint outline of a crimson-clad figure emerged in the drifting murk. The princess snarled, throwing up her hands and unleashing her magic.

The Yiga attacker vanished, and Zelda's magic ploughed into a tree, shattering it into burning splinters that glowed briefly as they spun away in the gloom.

Her ears pricked up at the distant sound of more blasts. She turned, and ran in that direction.

Link leapt up over the curtain of smoke, bow in hand as time slowed around him. He aimed a burning arrow and let it loose. Zelda watched it fly, saw the Yiga it had targeted disappear at the last moment and then flinched, her eyes jamming shut as the bomb arrow exploded. More energy blasts sounded, though she herself remained untouched.

A sudden realisation hit her like an icy stab to the heart.

 _It's not me they're after!_

Fear followed up her thought. This was why the Yiga had tried to separate them, why they'd used such an attack that would make it hard for her to see. That's why they hadn't all just materialised in front of Link in one concerted attack – they hadn't wanted her to be caught by a stray blast.

 _But why?!_

And then another flash of light scorched across her line of sight, and Princess Zelda tumbled into darkness.

* * *

It was night when Zelda opened her eyes again. Her head throbbed. She felt something else, too, something hollow in the pit of her heart.

"Ah ha, excellent!" said a voice. "You're awake!"

The princess sat up, feeling the warm touch of a crackling fire. She looked at the figure sat cross-legged on the other side.

"Prince Sidon…?" she said.

The Zora nodded. "I couldn't just leave you to fend for yourself. I didn't agree with the council's decision – their short-sighted rejection of you." His golden eyes flashed deeper with the reflected firelight. He smiled. "I thought the least I could do was give you a hand on your way to the Gerudo. A grand adventure, if you will! I decided to try and catch up with you. It's a good thing I did, too."

The emptiness in Zelda's heart deepened. There was something wrong. Something was _missing._

Her eyes widened. "Link!"

Prince Sidon looked at her with a grave expression. "I don't know where he is. I was hoping you would know the whereabouts of our young hero." The shadow of the flames danced across his face. "I can see from your reaction that you sadly don't."

Zelda stood. She gazed around the dark forest, and shivered from the cold. The feeling pricked a memory of what Link had said just a few hours earlier.

 _I'm…cold inside._ _Hollow._

And now, here in the dark without her appointed knight, so was she.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 _Had she finally rid herself of him…?_

 _Princess Zelda had left her chambers that morning to find, to her surprise, no Link waiting silently for her. It had been the first time he'd ever shirked in his duty to her. Perhaps he'd decided to abscond in defiance of her father. Or maybe he'd found some tavern wench to spend the night with and had simply forgotten – isn't that what soldiers usually did…?_

 _More likely, though, was that he'd gotten sick of her talking about Silent Shrooms – she'd spent the entirety of the previous day wondering at why they glowed so, what properties they'd release upon cooking, and where she could find herself a sample._

 _The princess didn't care. Free of her shadow, she smiled happily, almost skipping girlishly as she made her way to the castle's library. She sat there, content, pouring through tome after tome under the disapproving eye of the Master Archivist. But as the shadows shrank from the passage of the sun, Zelda felt a traitorous whisper of unease._

 _Where had Link gone…? Was he sick…?_

 _She herself felt strange, like she had lost something dear. Her mind teased her with a ridiculous image of her having lost a limb._

 _But the feeling deepened to the point she could no longer concentrate on her studies. Zelda looked up from a huge encyclopaedia on shrooms and shut the book with a hollow boom that echoed through the library and made the Master Archivist look up with a glare. She slid from the chair and made for the door._

 _Perhaps her father would know where Link had gone…_

 _Zelda yanked the library door open and strode down the passageway beyond. Shafts of sunlight shone through the castle's windows and warmed her face as she passed._

 _The nerve of that boy! Even if her father didn't know where Link was, she hoped he would give the knight a stern talking to for abandoning his post. Not that_ _ **she**_ _was bothered. It was just the principle of it, that's all._

 _She turned a corner – and stopped short to find a breathless Link standing there._

 _Her heart and tongue reacted before her brain. "Where have you been?!" she snapped._

 _Link didn't reply. He raised his hands and Zelda's gaze dropped to what lay in his cupped palms. Her heart tingled._

 _It was a single, glowing Silent Shroom._

/||\

Princess Zelda folded her arms. "I have decided," she said in a firm voice. "I'm going to look for Link."

Sidon, prince of the Zora, leaned back against a tree. "You have the same spirit he does," he said, smiling. The leaves rustled, the branches shading him from the sun. "And, on any other occasion, it would be simply magnificent. But I don't think this course of action is particularly wise. We have no leads."

"I will find leads."

Nothing was going to sway the princess. Especially not the doubtful expression the Zora now wore.

"I trust the hero," he said. "Whatever bind he's in, I just know he can handle it!" He punched the air. "But, if what my father said is true, your uncle's influence is growing. That should be your priority."

The princess set firm her jaw. She just wanted to be done with this. Time was ticking. "I don't care."

"You _should,_ my lady," Sidon replied. "The news now is that he is telling people that the rumour of his niece surviving is a lie, one last trick played by the Calamity. You wondered why the Yiga left you unharmed - well, this is it, it must be!" Unlike the tone of his words, his golden eyes regarded her with a serene calm. "They want to do worse than kill you, princess. They want to disgrace you."

"Link. First."

Sidon pushed a long breath through his pursed lips. "Father was right," he said. "You _are_ still young."

Zelda's emerald eyes flashed dangerously. "You don't have to assist me," she said. "I am perfectly capable of finding him myself."

Prince Sidon sighed. "Listen here, Lady Zelda," he said. "Think on this, then. You last saw Link when he was engaging the foul Yiga Clan. We know the clan makes their home in the desert. It only makes sense, then, that you stay on your intended path to the Gerudo. I know you can do it!"

Zelda turned her back on him. Hyrule Field stretched out before her with Death Mountain looming in the distance. Grass swayed under a mournful breeze. Her marble-white stallion chewed on a discarded red apple on the ground. And though she couldn't yet see it, she turned slightly to glance in the general direction of Gerudo desert.

It did make sense. She just didn't want to admit it. Moreover, she didn't really want him accompanying her. Prince Sidon, chivalrous and noble though he was, still made her feel somewhat uncomfortable.

 _Elasmobranchophilia,_ her mind said, recalling something she'd read once. _The physical attraction to sharks._

Zelda swiftly snuffed the thought out. She wrapped her arms around herself and gazed up at a cloudless blue sky. _Where are you, Link…?_

Prince Sidon stepped around her. "Now that's a look I remember from my childhood."

Zelda glanced at him with a question in her eyes.

The Zora chuckled. His expression softened. "My sister often wore that exact same look."

"I don't know what you mean."

Sidon laughed. "Oh, you don't have to deny it to me, Lady Zelda," he said gently. "I am not Muzu. You can tell as I'm taller."

Zelda hesitated in mid-question, then decided not to follow through. It was obvious to her who the taller was, but she wondered if there was something more than that.

 _Father was right,_ she mused. _I know so little about how other people think – not just about they view us, but how they view themselves as well._

"Ah, your face!" Sidon cried gleefully. "Delicious. No need to look so perturbed, my lady! I was just joking!"

Zelda's shoulders sagged in relief and she allowed herself an inward sigh. So she hadn't been about to make another cultural mis-step, after all.

"Yes," said the prince. "It's obvious that you tell us Zora apart from the length of our beards…"

"You don't have –" Zelda stopped herself with a shake of her head. Now she definitely didn't want Sidon coming with her. The less confusion, the better.

The prince apparently hadn't heard her anyway. "It's settled, then. Two hearts need reuniting, so how could I possibly stand in the way? It's what Mipha would have wanted! Perhaps I can stand in as your appointed knight…?"

"Never." The word left her lips without her even thinking about it. She turned to the Zora, and softened her stance with a smile. "I'm sorry. I merely meant –"

"No, no, no," a grinning Sidon retorted. "There's no need for apologies. I understand _perfectly._ " A deep laugh rose from his lips. _"_ Alright, then. Let's go find Link. We don't need any leads; we just need to _believe._ We can _do_ this!"

And for the first time in her life, Princess Zelda found herself craving for Link's silence.

* * *

Darkness. And a voice.

"Wake up."

Link didn't recognise it. He knew from the steady hum that beat in the background exactly where he was, though. He didn't even have to open his eyes.

 _A shrine._

"Wake up," the voice insisted.

Link rolled his mind back – he'd been tangling with the Yiga and one of them had morphed into the air just close enough to grab him. Link could only guess at what happened next.

 _Teleportation._

The act of doing so had clearly knocked the Hylian out.

Eyes open now, Link drew himself back onto his feet and surveyed his surroundings. This shrine was but a single, cavernous room, the walls etched with pulsing patterns of glowing orange and electric blue that cast the darkened room with an eerie hue.

Link had, during the course of his adventures, often felt a kindred spirit with these places – the dark reflected how his mind saw the world.

The shrine was empty, too. No Sheikah monk caged in a luminous cage waited here.

The voice spoke again. "Good." It was a male. "It's Link, isn't it? We Yiga have set this trial. Are you ready?"

Link glanced around but couldn't pinpoint the source of the voice – when a panel in one wall slid open with a sigh and an arrow shot out. He pulled the Hylian Shield up off his back and brought it down in front of him in one fluid motion. The arrow struck, the spiked tip kissing the shield with a single spark, then spun away harmlessly.

"Next!" the voice cried.

A rising whine of tech powering up sounded from behind the knight. Link spun around, shield still in front, just in time to meet the thin beam of laser energy that sizzled through the air. It deflected off the shield and flew straight back, punching a burning hole in the opposite wall. The beam vanished.

"Too easy?" said the voice.

Link looked down at his shield. Thin, dark smoke trailed from a small blackened crater in the centre, another notch to add to the pocked and battered metal skin. Link returned the shield to its place on his back.

"Nothing to say…?" The words echoed around the room. "I always thought you hero types loved to brag."

Twin swirls of crimson energy caught Link's eye, and the knight watched as, much like during a Blood Moon, a pair of Bokoblins solidified into existence out of thin air.

Snorting, snuffling and with gurgled cries, the two monsters shuffled towards him with their spiked clubs. Link said nothing.

 _Silence is confidence. Insecurity is loud._

Instead, he drew his bow and nocked an arrow to the string. Link felt the bow grow taut with a creak, felt the tension under his fingers. With a whispered breath, the arrow flew free. It hit one monster in its arm. Tracking their movements, Link followed through with a second shot, then a third. One of the Bokoblins went down, its corpse crumpling into a cloud of purplish-black smoke.

"Nice shooting," the disembodied voice said.

The second monster was quicker – it reached him within seconds. Link let the bow clatter to the floor, then reached back quickly to draw the Master Sword. With a croaked cry, the Bokoblin swung its spiked club up over its head and straight down. Link dodged, jumping to the side. The air shifted, and time slowed. Link dived in with a flurry of sword strikes – slashing and thrusting – until the monster, like its companion, crumbled into smoke.

The voice had fallen silent. Steel slid against leather as Link sheathed the Master Sword. Was that it…?

Link steadied his breathing and savoured the beating of his speeding heart. It didn't last long.

They told him he was the chosen one. It held no solace. They said he was a hero. He didn't care.

Ice nestled within; a never ending sadness, the source of which forever evaded him, that threatened to drown his entire being. The fight had momentarily taken the edge off that pain.

And the urge to protect Princess Zelda drove it away entirely.

 _I can't stay here. I need to find her._

His memories were still fuzzy, always sitting tantalisingly out of reach of his mind, but some were stronger than others.

Not long after rescuing her from the Yiga clan a century ago, the princess had insisted she tell him the reason for his silent nature. He hadn't really wanted to, so had told her of the weight of being the chosen one and how he had to be silent and serious as a show of strength to those who looked to him as an inspiration.

It was only partly true.

Link knew that if his heart's grief ever spilled out onto his tongue, it would infect everyone around him. It would, in short, make the princess sad, and Link didn't ever want that.

 _I'll protect her from everything._

And now that she'd ordered him to tell her, when before she'd merely asked. Link had had no choice. Now she knew what he'd so cautiously hidden away from the world. It made him feel utterly naked.

 _Cold inside,_ he'd said. Hearing his own voice express those words had felt strange. Cold, alien; it was like a lizard had wound its way into the very core of his heart and made its home there.

Link closed his eyes for a brief moment. He would much rather think of the princess.

' _She's special,'_ the Gerudo Champion Urbosa had said about Zelda once, and Link had wholeheartedly agreed. He'd lived in awe of the princess. After all, she was the only one that could seal Calamity Ganon. He'd never doubted that she would unlock her power.

Her early resentment of him had actually hurt, not that Link would have ever have shown it. He didn't run from pain – outwardly or inwardly.

Zelda's feelings had eventually morphed into a begrudging respect. It was enough. It had, after all, helped her connect with her power when she'd rushed to his aid. What more could he expect since she was a princess and he just a Royal Guardsman? So long as she didn't hate him.

"Link. Why have you kept me waiting so long…?"

He felt his skin prickle. Link knew that soft, gentle voice and, turning, his eyes fell upon Princess Mipha.

Dressed in an uncharacteristically slinky dress, the young Zora girl walked toward him with a seductive sway. Her golden eyes burned with an intensity he'd never seen from her before.

The disembodied voice returned. "Ah, what's this?" it said. "A light in the darkness…?"

Link drew the Master Sword and held his ground. He felt the familiar sinking of his heart, felt the intensity of his inner turmoil increase.

No escape. There was no escape from this dark weight on his soul. No escape from who he -

Link grit his teeth and steeled himself to shove the thoughts aside. His icy self-control solidified – no trace of what he felt would show on the outside.

"Cheap trick," he said.

The woman wagged a finger. "It's no trick," she cooed, her head cocked to one side. "I didn't say I _was_ her _,_ did I? I just adopted this form to make you feel…comfortable."

Link didn't take his eyes off of her.

"I was wondering," she continued as she drew closer. "What did the Zora princess really mean to you…? How did you spend your time with someone so… _different_ from a Hylian…?"

"That's none of your concern."

A fluted sigh left the woman's lips. "I see you're not getting it. Let me make it plain for you, shall I?"

She'd reached him now, and drew her hand up to slowly stroke his cheek with one finger. Her skin was cold, but Link still felt the tingle of her soft touch.

"Have you ever actually _been_ with a woman…?" she said in a husky voice. Her breath shivered. "You're still just a boy. Do you even know what it's like…?" The corners of her mouth twitched. "Would you like to know…? Or have you spent far too much time alone playing with your sword?"

She flashed a wicked grin. Her eyelids fluttered as she slowly leaned in – and then started with a sudden gasp, her eyes widening. The woman slowly looked down to see the Master Sword buried deep in her gut, Link gripping the hilt with both hands.

Her whole body shook as she forced her head back up. She smiled, then spoke with ragged breaths. "Now…who's the lucky girl that's earned this kind of loyalty, hmm…?"

Link jerked the sword free and the woman collapsed to the floor. Her entire form shimmered, her features blurring like spilt paint, until the image of Mipha vanished to be replaced by a young Yiga woman, clad in their familiar red. She wore no tell-tale mask. Something blinked on her belt and Link guessed that it was some sort of tech that had helped to project the image and voice of Mipha.

Link crouched quickly and pulled a luminous ball from his pouch. He held it over the woman's glistening wound, spilling light all over, then let it drop to watch incandescent wings begin to flutter. The fairy went to work, spinning around and around.

The Yiga woman's back arced, and she took in a long, wheezing gasp of air. She relaxed, sinking back to the floor. Her eyelids shivered in rapid succession as her uncomprehending gaze focused in on Link.

"Why…?" she breathed.

"You didn't attack," Link replied.

The woman hissed. "I would have."

"But you didn't. So I won't let you die." He favoured her with a level look. " _That's_ what Mipha meant to me." His eyes narrowed. "Now leave me be."

She held his gaze a moment longer – and then a crack of smoke made Link flinch away. When his sight returned, he saw that the woman had gone.

Link stood up and looked around. "Are we done?" he called. "Have I passed…?"

A deep, disembodied chuckle rolled around the Shrine. "There was never any doubt that you would pass," it said. Amusement edged its voice. "That doesn't mean we were ever going to let you leave."

Link's lips made a tight, thin line. He took in a long, cleansing breath, and considered those words.

 _Not good enough,_ he decided.

"Let me introduce myself," said the voice. "I am Master Halef, the new leader of the Yiga Clan. I was tasked to destroy you, hero. But I had another thought – the hero is meant to return time after time, generation after generation. Isn't that right?"

Link listened in stony silence.

Halef continued. "Well," he said. "I'm told it is. But if the previous hero never dies, will the next ever appear? What if the tech that was used to keep him in a healing slumber for a hundred years was now used to keep him alive for eternity…?" The Yiga Master chuckled again. "And what if you're standing in the middle of that tech right now…?"

Link had, as usual, nothing to say. Only one thing weighed on his mind now. Fahel Ihadah.

Princess Zelda. He had to get back to Princess Zelda.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

" _Let's be off," she said, walking up the grassy slope toward their horses. She breathed in the fresh Hyrulean air and savoured the touch of the sun's warmth on her face. Her heart fluttered. They'd done it. The Calamity was over._

 _Zelda slowed as a thought came to her. She stopped part-way. Still facing front, she sensed Link draw up behind her and began to address her knight._

" _I…can no longer hear the voice inside the sword," she said. "I suppose it makes sense if my power had dwindled over the past one hundred years." She turned, wondering if she should tell him more. It wasn't just the sword she couldn't hear – she could no longer use her power to track and talk to Link when he was not at his usual place at her side._

 _But why did it matter now…? Link was with her, and they would never be parted again._

 _The princess slowly smiled. "I'm surprised to admit it," she said. "But I can accept that."_

/||\

Master Halef leaned back in his chair and smiled behind his mask. Contentment simmered deep in his chest. Things were going better than he'd ever hoped they would.

In one corner of his mask's inner display, marked by a box with a glowing outline, he watched Link in the shrine. The boy sat there, unmoving. What was he doing…? Meditating…? Halef almost spluttered into a laugh at the thought.

 _Who cares what the hero's doing?_ he mused. _Nothing he can do can change his fate now._

Halef's eyes moved to the rest of the display. It showed him what lay directly before him here in this small room within the Yiga hideout. With a mental command he switched off the window that looked onto Link so he could focus more on this.

"You're doing a stellar job," he said quietly.

The man tied to the chair in front of him was thin, with a hint of a grey goatee on his pointed chin. He fixed the Yiga with a level gaze. Skyr Diaphamus Hyrule looked far, far different to his older brother.

"It's not like I have a choice," the man replied in a deep voice surprisingly free from any trace of heat.

Halef's eyes dropped to the Hylian's bare arms. The veins under Skyr's skin pulsed unnaturally as though something other than blood squirmed within them. It was a partially accurate description.

The Yiga had injected Skyr with some liquid tech; another gift from the Herald, one that allowed Halef to have complete control over the late king's brother. In short, it allowed him to make the Hylian say exactly what he wanted to say.

And despite all that, Skyr Hyrule remained anger free. On the outside, at least.

 _Naturally,_ thought Halef. _He is a diplomat, after all. It's their nature to project unfailing cheerfulness. Helps with all those pesky negotiations._

On occasion, the Yiga Master had loosened his grip on the Hylian and allowed his tongue some freedom. This was one of those moments.

"Come now," said Halef. "A little bit more gratitude, please. We have kept you alive all this time, after all."

The skin around Skyr's eyes tightened. "Keeping me in that shrine of yours almost drove me mad."

"And you're free now," Halef countered. "Without a wrinkle to your name, I might add. Or any memory loss."

The Yiga Master hadn't even known about the shrine until a few weeks back when the Herald had informed him of the prisoner that lay within, a prisoner it needed for Phase Three of its plan. They'd broadcast a projection of Skyr Hyrule over the main centres of Hylian population – pathetically small as they were - and had him play on their emotions, making them reminiscence about a past where they'd been in the ascendancy, and simply had him say what was needed to stir the people into supporting his claim.

That, and to cast doubt onto the very existence of Princess Zelda.

"Besides," Halef continued. "Someone else has taken your place there now."

"Who?"

"The chosen hero," said Halef. "At least that's what you Hylians call him."

"Link…?" Skyr blinked, then turned away in thought. "That's…that's why you forced me to tell you of him. About his friendship with the Zora princess. About all the old legends." A vein in his temple pulsed, though he kept his voice carefully neutral. "What are you going to do with him?"

"My plans are my own."

That was true. Knowing now what the Yiga shrine did, Halef had managed to hatch a quick scheme of his own about keeping Link in there forever. He looked down at the Guardian tech enwrapped around his right arm. He wasn't going to let the Herald call all the shots here.

Halef glanced back up at his prisoner. Seeing the Hylian's maddeningly calm demeanour ignited something within the Yiga Master.

"Tell me," he said, his voice curdling. "I heard you Hylians mark the day you banished the Sheikah as a day of festival." He allowed the words to settle for a moment. "Tell me how you celebrated it. Tell me all the details."

"That's not true," Skyr protested with wide eyes. "There was no such day."

"A march through Castle Town, wasn't it?" Halef replied. "With effigies of Sheikah heads placed on pikes." He favoured the Hylian with a cool gaze. "You Hylians so love to nurture your old hatreds."

"I tell you we had no such festival!"

Halef took a grim sense of satisfaction from seeing the Hylian diplomat finally flustered. So easy as well. He just had to expose the Hylians for what they really were under that carefully cultivated veneer of civilisation.

"Admit it," Halef went on. He was the calm one now. "Say it's true." He let a beat pass. "You know I can just _make_ you say it."

Skyr cast a fearful glance down at his arm to see the liquid tech crawl just underneath his skin. Halef thought it a pity that the Herald could only use it on a select proportion of the population – to which Skyr belonged – and, even then, only had enough to use on just the one person.

Skyr Hyrule looked up to glare. "So, either I lie by choice or by compulsion," he said sourly. "Spare me this mockery. Just kill me. Isn't that what you Yiga want?"

Master Halef's lips stretched into a smile. He'd made the Hylian crack. Life truly was going all his way.

The king's brother sniffed. "Better dead than be used against my niece like this."

Halef chuckled, all hostility vanishing instantly. "We're not going to kill you," he said. "You know we're here to help you. Help you to re-establish the Hylian Kingdom of Hyrule."

"That's the last thing you Yi-" He paused, his expression changing suddenly. "You're going to make me a puppet," Skyr breathed. "You Yiga will be the true rulers."

Halef's smile widened. "Isn't that the best revenge?" he said. "The Hylian Royal Family that banished us when we were Sheikah will now be the instrument by which _we_ take power."

Skyr's fists clenched and unclenched helplessly.

"With no hero ever to return," Halef continued "And the princess disgraced – why, there will simply be no-one to stop us."

* * *

Princess Zelda sat cross-legged on the peak of a hill and felt the cool breeze ruffle her blue tunic. She looked ahead to the horizon, blurred a burnt orange from the setting sun. This time of day was considered a good time to engage in prayer, and Zelda lowered her head to ready her mind.

She'd be undisturbed, too. Prince Sidon was off somewhere finding them some food, which left Zelda perfectly alone to concentrate. She was grateful for that. The Zora was distracting.

 _Link,_ she thought. _I just need to find Link._

Zelda wanted to connect with him through her power like she'd done when he'd first awoken from his century-long slumber. That particular ability had seemingly gone now, but the princess felt determined to try. She closed her eyes and let her awareness reach out.

"Link," she said.

She heard nothing but the rustle of small animals skittering through the grass and felt nothing but a cold wall of air.

 _Deeper,_ she thought. _I have to go deeper._

She withdrew into herself, and nudged the well of power at the very centre of her being.

"Link."

Zelda opened her eyes and focussed. The sun sank beneath the horizon, and twilight's shroud followed in swiftly bringing a haze of stars in its wake.

At one point, Zelda heard soft footsteps behind her that came to a stop nearby, waited, then turned and descended down the slope. Prince Sidon had wisely decided not to interfere.

"Where are you…?" she said quietly. The wind whistled around her. "Tell me you're still alive."

She waited and waited until, finally, frustration overcame her and she slapped both her palms down on the grass.

"Please…" she whispered.

And there it came rushing in again, that familiar prickle of failure. It stung her heart, intensifying into a loneliness that made her want to hug herself tightly. She hated it, hated being caught between wanting to stand up to it to prove it wrong, and wanting to flee and hide to be left alone.

Her eyes grew heavy, and her overwhelmed mind drifted until she found herself falling, falling, falling back into a memory…

/||\

 _Princess Zelda stood on the walkway within the castle's battlements in her formal dress of royal blue trimmed with gold and looked out at the moat as it glistened gold under the sun. She waited the arrival of her knight. As she'd promised herself in her diary, today she would apologise to Link for the way she'd been treating him._

 _What had happened in the desert was now seared into her mind. A simple excursion to visit Urbosa and check in on Vah Naboris had turned into a terrifying experience for her._

 _Hunted by those awful Yiga, Zelda had felt certain that she would die there, alone, her mission to seal Calamity Ganon unfinished._

 _Except she was never alone._

 _Her heart swelled as she recalled the Master Sword snaking in to block the blades of the Yiga, recalled seeing Link standing over her protectively, his face stiff with determination._

 _Footsteps from behind her brought her back into the now, and she turned to see Link's respectful approach. His eyes glanced down at her dress, then up to her face. That was exactly why she'd worn it – the princess had a suspicion that he had a preference for it, judging by the way he snuck glances at her whenever she wore it._

 _She'd never understood, though, why whenever she'd caught him looking, she'd only see a sad sort of resignation on his face._

 _Still. To the task at hand._

" _Link," she said. "I feel I should apologise."_

 _A slightly puzzled frown creased his brow. "It's me who should be sorry," he replied._

 _Now it was Zelda's turn to look confused. "Whatever do you mean, Link…?"_

" _I went to buy hydromelons," he said. It took the princess a moment to realise he was referring to their trip into the Gerudo lands. "And left you alone. An easy target for the Yiga."_

 _Zelda's eyes widened slightly in surprise. "You did nothing wrong," she insisted. "You made it back to me just in time. And I am so utterly grateful that you did."_

 _He cast his gaze down at the cobbled stone floor and gave a small shake of his head. "I left my post."_

" _Link!" she said, almost breaking into a laugh. "We would have dehydrated if you hadn't gone to buy those melons! Either way, I – we – were in danger."_

 _He didn't look up, but didn't protest either. Now was her chance._

 _Zelda cleared her throat. "Link," she said. "I feel I have treated you quite unfairly."_

 _This time he did look up, surprise and…something else she couldn't quite place in his eyes._

" _And," she went on, "I have acted in a quite unbecoming manner. I should never have chided you for wanting to do your duty. I see now that you are very much qualified for the task."_

 _He said nothing and as she stood looking at him, Zelda felt an odd feeling unfurl from deep within her heart. Here he was, this boy chosen by the sword, this boy who never left her side. Sometimes he was the only person she spoke to, and though he rarely engaged her back, Zelda felt comfortable to air her thoughts and hopes without fear of being scolded or ridiculed._

 _A slight flutter in her stomach became a sudden clench._

" _Link," she said. "I…"_

 _She couldn't bring herself to say it. She honestly didn't even know exactly what it was she wanted to say._

" _I…"_

 _Link watched and waited in patient silence._

 _Zelda closed her mouth. Whatever it was, she had all the time in the world to express it. She just needed to untangle these strange feelings first._

 _The princess smiled. "I just wanted to thank you," she said at last. "That's all I really wanted to say."_

/||\

Zelda surprised herself by hearing a small sob escape from her lips. A hand came to rest on her shoulder, and her eyes flew open as she looked up. Gentle eyes of gold gazed down at her.

"You need to sleep, Lady Zelda," said Prince Sidon in a soft voice. "Your ambition to become an icicle can wait."

"That's..." The princess blinked, setting a stray tear free from one eye. "That's not what I was attempting."

She wasn't doubly surprised to see that the sun was already back up. Her body caught up to that realisation quickly, and Zelda felt her each and every joint protest with stiffness. A scratchy feeling at the back of her throat told her that she'd been out in the cold too long.

Sidon sat himself down beside her. Without even realising she was doing it, the princess shuffled away a bit.

"What exactly _were_ you trying to do?" he asked.

Zelda wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "I was hoping to able to contact Link." Seeing the Zora's quizzical look, she added, "I could do so when I was holding Ganon at bay." She looked down. "But my powers were at their peak then."

"Ah," said Sidon. "This is what you meant by finding leads."

Zelda nodded. "Except it hasn't worked," she said. "And it appears I've spent the entirety of the night trying."

The prince looked at her for a long moment. "He means that much to you."

"He…" And again she hesitated, like she'd done all those years ago. What was it that made her tongue stumble so…? Fear…? "He meant much more to your sister, I'm sure."

A light laugh flew from Sidon's smile. "Ah, such naiveté," he said. "You try to hide what's so painfully apparent to everyone else."

Zelda pursed her lips, unhappy at the label.

Sidon looked ahead into the distance. "Perhaps he did mean more to Mipha," he said. "But my sister isn't ever coming back. I made my peace with that long ago." He smiled again. "Onwards! That's always been my motto! You and the young hero would do well to take heed of it."

Zelda had a sneaking suspicion that the Zora prince had a great many mottos of a similar sort.

"In fact," the prince continued. "I believe you may have already adopted such a stance already."

"What makes you say that?"

"The trial you endured," he replied. "For one hundred years. The...people you've lost. You don't appear to be scarred by any of it."

Zelda's gaze swept over the horizon. She saw the broken shadow of Hyrule Castle, so dark that even the morning sunlight couldn't penetrate it. Her eyes lingered there for a moment, and then she pulled away.

The things the prince spoke of she'd locked away and buried deep, deep down into the pit of her heart. She wouldn't even speak of such things. She kept herself firmly rooted to the present now, and Link was her anchor for that. All the more reason why she needed him back.

 _'Feeling sorry for yourself won't be of any help,'_ her old friend Urbosa had said in that deep, vibrant voice of hers. Link had later told her how Urbosa's spirit had accepted her fate and had wanted Zelda to feel no guilt.

Sidon seemed to sense her reluctance. "So, then," he said. "Does the hero know how high he is held in the princess's esteem…?"

She took a breath to reply. "I fear anything I say will harm his mind even further."

"Or heal it," Sidon countered quickly.

Zelda turned to him in surprise. The Zora smiled, then stood up. "Why don't you think on that," he said softly, "and try again? Since I can see you're not going to heed my advice on getting some rest."

Zelda nodded mutely. As he left her to it, she blinked away the heaviness from her eyes and clenched her jaw in steely determination. She felt her heart stir in response.

"Link," she said, her voice now firm. Her mind stretched out from beyond the confines of her body. This time it wasn't her own needs she focussed on. " _Link._ I'm here for you."

* * *

Quiet. Stillness.

Link sat thinking with his eyes closed, unmoving to an almost preternatural degree. A knight had to serve, and every moment he spent in this shrine stole away from that. He'd already examined every inch of the room, his eyes scanning for a tell-tale crack that he could exploit. He'd found nothing.

They'd left him with his weapons and equipment, a sure sign in the absolute faith they had in their prison's ability to keep him locked away. It would prove to be their downfall, he hoped. Not only would he escape, he would then burn the shrine to the ground so they couldn't use it against him ever again.

He felt no hunger or fatigue. An effect of the softly humming tech that surrounded him, no doubt.

Weapons, gear, his own mind and body – he had much to be grateful for, he knew. If only his treacherous heart could _feel_ that gratitude.

An almost imperceptible twitch ran down Link's face. He cocked his head to one side. He'd felt something just then, something inside, something other than the usual void in his soul craving for that which he couldn't ever put into his words.

Link slowed his breathing so he could focus.

 _There._

A faint presence. It lapped at the edge of his mind, searching, prodding, insistent.

Warm.

Link's eyes flew open with a start of recognition. A single word hung on his breath.

"Princess."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

 _A grim-faced Link sat in the pilot seat of the Guardian, eyes sweeping over the darkened control panel that lay behind the twin control sticks. Mipha was with him, perched on the edge of the open cockpit, legs swinging idly._

" _And, lastly, that switch there," she said, pointing. "That's how you switch off the communicator." She glanced down at him. "Cheer up. Now you know how to pilot one. In case its autonomous programming fails. Isn't that what you asked?"_

 _Link said nothing. What could he say? That he felt so sad, but didn't know why? Mipha was a genius when it came to healing the physical. Matters of the heart and soul were apparently too subtle for her, though._

 _The young Zora girl looked up with a sudden gasp. "Lady Zelda!"_

 _Link shot to his feet._

" _No, no," said the princess as she walked slowly through the grass of Hyrule Field towards the ancient machine. "Please stay seated."_

 _Link didn't move._

" _Fascinating," said Zelda, her eyes looking over every inch of the Guardian. She gently pressed a palm against the metal. "Herein lies our salvation, it would seem."_

 _The breeze cut creases into the fabric of her dark blue dress and sunlight flashed off of the gold trim. Link always thought she looked so regal wearing it, as befitting a lady of her rank. He dropped his gaze instantly. It wasn't proper. Musings like that were the sole province of whoever became her husb–_

 _Link crushed that line of thinking instantly. His already dark heart sank even further._

 _When he looked up again, he saw the princess looking at him curiously._

" _So," she said after a moment. "How go the lessons?"_

" _He's a natural," Mipha replied with a smile. Clearly, she'd anticipated that Link wouldn't provide an answer. "But he usually is whenever you give him a new weapon to play with."_

 _Link winced inwardly. The sadness swirling within tightened._

" _Excellent," said Zelda. "It's good that you are taking steps to be always prepared, Link. You never know when you may find yourself at the control of one of these machines." She smiled. "Well. Don't let me keep you."_

 _Zelda turned to leave, and as she did so, Link leapt out of the cockpit and landed on the grass. "I'll come, too," he said._

" _Link?" said Mipha, her voice ringing with confusion. "What about the rest of our class? I thought you wanted a test-run?"_

" _Later" he called, then stopped, not liking the bluntness in his own voice. He looked up at his old friend. "Thank you, Mipha."_

 _The Zora threw up her hands in mock-despair. Link attempted a smile, then turned away._

 _The princess had already moved on ahead, and he broke into a jog to catch up._

/||\

"What is this place?" said Prince Sidon. He gazed wide-eyed at the incandescent globs of dust that floated through the swirling mist. "It's really quite remarkable."

Princess Zelda held up a torch. Blackened ash drifted off of the sputtering flame. "The Lost Woods," she replied. "And, yes, it is. I've always wanted to conduct a survey here." She took in a long breath of cold forest air. "Don't find yourself too enchanted, though. It truly lives up to its name."

Golden eyes glanced her way. "Is this where you felt the hero's presence...?"

Zelda shook her head. "I'm here to visit an old friend," she said. "He can help. Come."

She moved off, the Zora trailing behind. A fox skittered into their path, looked up at them for a moment, then slipped away into the mist. Thick, dark trees loomed out of the gloom, hooked branches like claws, and then were swallowed back into the fog as the two of them passed. Zelda glanced up at the torch, then changed direction.

"Lady Zelda," said the prince. "How is it you know which path to take?"

"The wind," she murmured in reply. "I follow the direction of the wind." She nodded up toward the torch, the breeze tugging the flame westward.

"Ah," Sidon replied. "I see now." He paused, then said. "So your friend has a house here?"

Zelda's lips twitched. "Of a sort."

"A strange place to put down roots."

The princess stifled an unladylike snort.

A leaf floated before them, drifting on the current of air, before settling upright onto the ground. Zelda felt herself relax. The leaf shivered.

"Ya-ha-ha!" it squeaked. "You – you're Princess Zelda! You've come back!"

"The leaf," said Prince Sidon blankly. "It is talking."

Zelda grinned. She felt invigorated. Finally, she was _doing_ something.

"The Great Deku Tree," she said. "Is he…?"

The leaf nodded – which involved it almost folding itself in half repeatedly - then said, "Yes-a-ha-ha! He's still here. He's _always_ here. Do you want to see?"

"Please."

The tiny creature led the two of them down the path into Korok Forest. Prince Sidon leaned in close to Zelda. "Is this your friend?" he whispered.

Zelda gave a vigorous shake of her head in reply.

They passed by more of the tiny inhabitants, with their faces of green and red foliage, heart-shaped leaves for some of the younger folk, withered and dried ones for the elders.

Zelda even saw a slightly larger Korok amusing himself with a pair of maracas and muttering, "Shaka-laka, shaka-laka," cryptically to himself.

The path widened out into a clearing and Zelda's gaze dropped to the stone pedestal where she'd once laid the Master Sword to rest. An angled shaft of sunlight cut through the canopy of leaves above to bathe the entire area in a golden glow.

Zelda came to a stop, waiting, a cloak of awe draping her heart, as it always did whenever she found herself in the presence of the Great Deku Tree.

Leaves shivered and the massive tree stirred, eyes and mouth opening. Zelda heard Prince Sidon gasp softly beside her.

A warm, velvety voice spoke. "Princess Zelda!" said the Great Deku Tree. "Do my eyes deceive me? You have returned!"

"I have."

"I am so heartened to see you unharmed."

Zelda bowed her head. "I apologise," she said. "I should have visited you sooner."

"You are here now," the tree replied. "That is all that matters to me. But I sense you are…troubled."

"It's Link," she replied. "I –" Zelda paused, then said, "Allow me to explain from the very beginning."

Once she was done, the Great Deku Tree hummed in thought. "This is troubling indeed," he said. "The Yiga would only silence Impa because of what she knew." The tree then smiled. "But there is one other who knows, too."

Zelda frowned. "Who?"

"The tree, obviously," Sidon whispered.

"You are quite correct, Prince Sidon," said the Deku Tree.

The Zora stiffened. "You know my name…?"

"I know a great many things," the Deku Tree replied. "And I shall share one such seed with you both now. Allow me to tell you of the one known, even to his tribe, as the Ancient Sheikah."

The tree allowed his words to sink in before he went on.

"It is he who, all those years ago, developed the technology used to build the Guardians and the Divine Beasts."

Zelda listened, her eyes wide in rapt attention. This was the kind of knowledge she craved.

"He could control the machines through the power of his mind," the Great Deku Tree explained. "When the old Hylian king became fearful of this power, he banished the Ancient Sheikah and the rest of his tribe. The schism of the Yiga would arise from this. It is said that it was the Ancient Sheikah himself who founded the clan, that he declared himself to be a herald of the Calamity's return."

The tree paused, as though lost in thought. "All I know is that Master Kohga of the Yiga confronted him many, many years ago. After that, all word of the Ancient Sheikah passed from Hyrule. Many assumed he had perished."

Zelda waited, knowing there would be a twist in the tale.

"But others – like our dear Impa – were not convinced," he said. "She was ever vigilant for any sign of the Ancient One's return. And I, in turn, learned of these signs. Princess, you say you and the hero planned to trek to Zora's Domain when your Sheikah Slate told you that Vah Ruta had stopped working…?"

"Yes."

"And then the slate itself malfunctioned?"

Zelda nodded. "The towers went dark, too," she said. "And the Beasts…they just fell apart."

"It is him," said the Deku Tree gravely. "The Ancient Sheikah has returned. He who thinks of himself as the Herald of Ganon must be in league with the Yiga Clan."

Thoughts crowded in on Zelda's dismayed mind. So many obstacles, so much to consider. When would this all end…?

"So to confront the Yiga we must go," the princess said softly. She looked up. "But, for that, I need my knight."

"Of course," the tree replied. "You wish to pool your power with mine in order to pinpoint his exact location, correct?"

Zelda smiled.

"Ah…" said the Great Deku Tree. "How long have I waited to see that smile again! Come…let us find the hero. But be warned, princess. This process will temporarily deprive you of your powers after we are done."

Zelda swallowed. "I understand."

"Then we shall begin."

* * *

Zelda and Sidon untied their horses from the spot they'd left them in the shadow of the darkened Woodland Tower. The tall structure itself stood in a pool of stagnant water surrounded by the derelict wooden platforms of a former Military Training Camp. Zelda remembered when squadrons of her father's soldiers would march there to practice their swordplay and archery.

Hyrule Castle stood not too far away, but the princess would rather look at the huge stone skull hanging from the tower than turn her gaze that way. What had once been her cherished home had, for a century, been her prison.

She knew one day that she'd return there, that she'd even reclaim as it at a home, but that day hadn't come yet. First she had to find Link. And, at last, she knew now exactly where he was, though she wouldn't allow her heart the luxury of hope. She had to see him with her own two eyes first.

"Lady Zelda," said Prince Sidon. He'd been uncharacteristically quiet since leaving the Great Forest. "A word."

Zelda glanced up at his concerned face. "Yes?"

"I'd just like to know," he said. "Does every bit of foliage and fauna in this part of Hyrule have the power of speech? I think I should be told. I don't want to inadvertently cause offence by sitting on a twig and muffling its tongue under my posterior."

Princess Zelda smiled.

The sudden sound of galloping hooves made them both look up. A trio of armed Hylian riders circled around them. None of them looked even a shade friendly.

Sidon's hand reached for the ceremonial trident strapped to his back, but one of the riders rode in close to warn him off.

Zelda flexed and unflexed her fingers helplessly. Of course _now_ she would be without her power!

Prince Sidon's golden eyes flashed with anger. "Keep your distance!" he snapped. "Don't you know who this is? This is Princess Zelda Hyrule herself."

One of the horses reared up on its hind legs as it came to a stop. "Oh, we know exactly who it is," the rider said. "She is a pretender to the Hylian throne." His eyes flashed. "And now, she is our prisoner."

* * *

It was the fifth day when the voice of Master Halef returned. "Are you ready for some more?"

Link stirred. Now. Now was the time. It was but a germ of an idea but this was it.

Link stood. A slow slither of metal signified the drawing of the Master Sword. The darkness in his heart unfurled slowly like shifting sands of doubt that tried to undermine his resolve.

Link funnelled his thoughts in one direction.

 _Princess._

He'd sensed her again earlier that day. And though he couldn't hear her like before, her presence did seem stronger now.

"I see that you _are_ ready," said Halef. "Of course. You turn away from the world and orient yourself only to your one goal. Isn't that right…? Must be dull."

 _It's freedom,_ thought Link. _Freedom from everything other than the one._

Twin swirls of crimson energy congealed into the forms of two bow-equipped Bokoblins. Snuffles, snorts and arrows flew into the air.

Link stood motionless, aside from his sword arm that weaved and slashed to deflect each and every arrow in an almost lazy manner. He then lunged forward, pulled back his arm, and threw. The Master Sword spun, curving around in a perfect arc that reduced the two monsters into purplish-black smoke before spinning back toward Link who plucked it deftly out of the air.

The Hylian knight then stood there looking utterly unimpressed.

The voice of Halef returned. "Well, then," he said. "You could at least make it entertaining for me."

Silence.

"Come now," said Halef. "You're going to be here a long time. Make a sport of it!"

Link's face took on a bored expression.

"That's how it is, is it?" said Halef, his voice touched with an edge of exasperation. "You really are starting to grate."

Link focussed on his breathing. In, out. Steady. Not a muscle twitched in his face.

"Perhaps you need a more…difficult challenge then."

A funnel of blood-red light began to swirl into the room. Link waited – and he was prepared to wait until he got exactly what he wanted.

A Guardian appeared. The Master Sword thrummed with a pale blue glow in response. Link allowed himself a tiny inward smile.

 _Perfect._

Link fell into an easy attack stance. The Guardian buzzed with charged-up energy, glowing pink as its bleeping targeting alerts went into overdrive. A beam shot out from its eye and Link sent it back with a quick swipe of the Master Sword. Sparks blew as the laser hit one flank of the tentacled machine.

"Ha _ha!_ " cried Halef. "Now this is more like it!" Smugness then filled the Yiga Master's voice. "Let's make it a little more…interesting, shall we?"

Another swirl of light appeared, and a Yiga warrior morphed into the room, clinging to the side of the Guardian. Link's fingers tensed around the Master Sword's hilt. His heart skipped. He hadn't accounted for this.

The machine burst into life again, rapid beeps leading straight into another blast of laser energy. Link ducked, feeling the scorch of air just above the back of his neck, and ran to one wall, chased all the way by Master Halef's disembodied laugh.

The Guardian changed direction, metal tentacles dragging it Link's way. As it did so, the Yiga hanging to its side yanked a sickle free in anticipation.

Link coiled his muscles, waiting, waiting…

And then, just as the hulking machine reached him, he ran _up_ the wall, launched himself off into a spin, and lashed out a boot. It connected. The Yiga went flying. Metal clanked as Link landed on the Guardian's flank. Alerts began to bleep once again. The machine's single eye whirred around, bloodshot as it powered up.

No time. Link thrust the Master Sword into the access hatch. Sparks exploded and the metal glowed molten orange.

"What are you doing?" cried Halef.

The Guardian's buzz of built-up energy hit fever pitch. Using the blade as a lever, Link peeled open the hatch. The Guardian fired – just as Link slipped inside.

A Yiga sat at the controls, the emerald glow from the controls bleeding into his mask. He whirled around - straight into Link's fist. The knight pulled him quickly from the chair and threw him out through the newly opened hatch. Link then slid into the seat himself. His gloved hands curled around the control sticks.

And he was flung straight back into his seat. A crackle of discharged electricity hung in the air.

Master Halef's chuckle echoed from outside. "Did you think it would be that easy?" he said. "Sheikah tech is our tech. These Guardians don't take kindly to anyone other than their designated pilot trying to compel them. Why don't you step out now? This little escapade is over."

Link steadied himself, taking in deep breath after deep breath. He reached into the pouch on his belt, and pulled free a tiny bottle sloshing with greenish-yellow liquid. He pulled the wooden stopper with his teeth, then downed the Electro Elixir in one go.

 _Princess._

Link grabbed the sticks again and shoved them forward.

Hissing sparks spat all around. Link grit his teeth against the pain running up his arms. He heard Halef shouting, but the words were drowned out by the electric whine of the Guardian as it marched forward. Link flipped a switch. The beam shot out from the eye and hit one wall. The stone there turned white-hot as the Guardian drew closer and closer.

Link's arms tingled with numbness. The pain thrummed into the very roots of his teeth. If not for the elixir, he'd probably be a burnt crisp by now.

The wall loomed larger and larger in the Guardian's viewscreen and Link rocked and swayed in the unsecured seat.

Stone shattered when the Guardian ploughed through. Link's eyes grew wide. Instead of the sharp kiss of daylight that he'd expected, Link found himself in a dark, inclined tunnel.

He heard a burst of garbled noise. His eyes flicked down to a new light that had just started to blink into life on the control panel. Master Halef's voice floated into the cockpit.

"So," the Yiga said. "You knew you were underground all along."

 _Not really._

"You must have been planning this for…how long, exactly? A day…? Three…?"

 _Making it up as I go along._

Link reached out and switched off the voice. _Thank you, Mipha._

He pushed the sticks again and sent the Guardian climbing up and up and up at full speed.

A protesting whine rose from the machine as Link was jolted side to side from the Guardian's momentum. Angry red lights flicked on in concert all over the controls. Piercing alarms rang out in a cockpit fast filling with dark smoke.

Link's mind screamed in pain. _Where is the end to this tunnel…?_

He snapped forward in his seat as the Guardian finally met some resistance. His body began to convulse. Link could taste blood from his gums.

With a snarl through clenched teeth, Link gave the machine one last push. The pressure outside yielded with a sudden crack. Daylight filled his line of sight. Coughing as the smoke thickened, Link sprang out of his seat and jumped out of the opening – and right onto someone waiting outside. They both tumbled to the ground, Link landing on top.

The knight savoured the touch of cool air on the back of his throat. Wisps of smoke slowly drifted off of his Champion's tunic.

The stranger gasped. "M-Master Link…?!"

He turned his head, his breathing ragged as he tried to blink away his dizziness. His eyes focussed for a heartbeat. "Paya…?"

And then darkness took him.

 **A/N:** **A couple of you have pointed out that the Stolen Heirloom sidequest shows that the Yiga have no problem killing a Sheikah. As far as I recall, the sidequest doesn't say that the woman was killed in Kakariko (she may be buried there), and the point in Chapter 3 is that they wouldn't kill anyone while those people were within the location of the village. If a villager left Kakariko, they'd be fair game. I guess, in the context of this story, if they did want to kill someone from there, they'd find a way to draw them out. And if any of that doesn't fit, then I'll just claim authorial liberties :).**

 **(EDIT: And, yes, I'm aware that the Guardian riding was an April Fools from GameSpot, but the idea seemed too good to waste!).**

 **Anyhow, questions left in signed reviews I'll respond to directly via PM (if you have it enabled). Otherwise, you may see your questions answered within the story itself :)**

 **Once again, thank you all for the support and suggestions! It's very much appreciated!**

 **Split**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

" _What are you smiling at?"_

 _Link shot to his feet at the sound of the Royal Blademaster's voice. His tutor - a big Hylian with rippling muscles known as Aspre - strode into the dim, bare room that Link called his home and glared._

 _Link swallowed. He hadn't even realised he_ _ **was**_ _smiling – and, more importantly, how had Aspre even known…? Link really needed to remember to lock his door._

 _Bare stone walls, stone floor, and a single chest where he kept his things, Link thought of this cell - as the soldiers called their individual rooms – as his refuge from the never ending training, the place where he could indulge in his quiet daydreams. Fighting dragons, rescuing maidens – all the things he knew were silly but enjoyed thinking of nonetheless, sometimes more than he enjoyed the company of others._

 _The blademaster loomed above him. Link shrank back. He hadn't yet reached his full height yet; at eleven years old, he still had a few more years of growth for that. Aspre, on the other hand, had reached adulthood a long time ago._

" _I…I was just…" Link's tongue stumbled, and he felt a flare of anger that he aimed at only one person: himself. Why could he never just explain himself…?_

" _Just what?" Aspre said. He folded his arms and gazed down with flinty eyes._

" _Nothing, sir," Link replied. His voice sounded squeaky and childish in his own ears. He only knew this because the blademaster constantly reminded him of it. "It won't happen again."_

 _"Better not_ ," _Aspre growled. "You should be practising, boy. Each and every minute of your tiny life. You think your Da sat around with his head in the clouds?"_

 _Shame burned Link's cheeks. "No, sir."_

 _He couldn't even look up now. He just wanted to crawl away – both from this whole situation and the tumult of emotions churning within._

 _Three years had passed since his father's death. Mother, silent with grief and a smouldering anger that Link hadn't understood, had followed soon after. The last two years he had spent in training, responding to the king's call to arms for the oncoming battle with the Calamity. Age didn't matter, or so the king had said, since one of them would surely be chosen by the Master Sword. The king said a lot - not that Link had even caught a glimpse of the royal family since he'd been here._

 _Link glanced up as Aspre draped a meaty arm around his shoulders. "Come on, lad," the blademaster said in a suddenly soft voice. "I only want you to be the best you can be. Hyrule demands it. And your Da – he was my friend and I want you to do him proud. I_ _ **want**_ _the Master Sword to choose you."_

" _I know, sir," said Link. "Sorry, sir."_

 _Being the chosen one seemed like being the centre of far too much attention. Link hadn't joined up for that, not truly. It was more out of a...compulsion, an inexplicable desire to help. Anyway, the worst seemed to be over now. He relaxed, his shoulders sagging._

 _And that's when Aspre's free fist shot out and into the boy's stomach._

 _Pain exploded in the pit of Link's gut. He doubled over, gasping, then dropped to his knees._

 _Aspre stood over him. "Sorry?" he spat. "You should be."_

 _The blademaster then turned and left. The door slammed shut behind him._

 _Grasping the cold, stone wall for support, Link dragged himself to his feet. He cradled his stomach with the other arm and tried to ignore the throbbing pain there, the wetness on his cheeks and the shame and loneliness warring in his heart. All of it he wrapped up in a rage that he directed violently inward._

 _He'd been a fool. This wasn't the first time Aspre had sucker-punched him like this, and he still hadn't learned not to ever lower his defences. That had to be the lesson, right…? Link couldn't think of any other reason…_

 _Aspre was right, though. Link was wasting time. This was all his own doing. And this snivelling didn't help, either. He had to be stronger than this. He had to set things right. They were going to head into their first foray into Zora's Domain on the morrow and Link was now determined to throw himself into whatever task his respected teacher set for them._

 _His gaze came level to the cell's solitary window. The rest of Hyrule Castle stretched out before him. The sun kissed one of its towers as it stood across the courtyard. Link felt a sudden compulsion to follow the tower's path upward with his eyes – up, up, up, until he came to a stop at a single, slim window where a small figure stood, looking out._

 _Link strained his eyes. He couldn't make out the face, but could tell from the clothes that it was a girl. A flash of golden hair made Link smile for a reason he couldn't quite grasp. His pain began to fade._

 _Here in this dark, dank cell where he stood all alone, Link clung to the belief that there was still beauty in the world._

/||\

Sleep.

In the ocean of its warm embrace, Link felt the last traces of the Guardian's electrical energy pulse through his mind. Like a torch in a stormy, oppressive night, it cast light on whatever it found deep in the darkness of his soul.

Long lost memories floated to the surface. A jumble of blurry, fractured voices emerged.

 _All he does is train…_

 _Link's just barely out of childhood...and the sword chose him...?_

 _Enjoy your first kill….?_

 _For Hyrule, Link…_

The voices swirled. He tried to grasp at faces to match them to, but nothing came to him. Another memory spoke.

 _Bury it deep inside. No regret. You are our chosen one, our weapon. You'd be worthless otherwise…_

Then there were fewer thoughts and words, and more concepts and feelings –

 _Beauty. Love. Hope._

And images -

 _Princess Zelda. Smiling._

They all faded and the familiar, clawing darkness spewed forth from his heart. Sleep retreated. It was here, in this drowsy time before full wakefulness that Link found himself at his weakest. Not in any physical way, of course. The walls of ice that he'd built around his heart began to melt. Whispers would seep out, distorting his thoughts.

 _Why bother?_ they said. _Just sink back into sleep. It's all too hard. All futile._ _ **You're**_ _futile._

The pain that rested within, the emptiness that could not be filled, lashed out so hard that his eyes would sting and water.

And that's why he had trained himself to become alert within seconds.

Link sat bolt upright in the bed of a darkened room. He waited for calm to rest over his thoughts like a temporary balm, then his hand moved quickly, searching for his weapons. His fingers only found soft, feather-filled duvets, a far cry from the hard, stone floor he was accustomed to when growing up.

"Eep!" a voice said.

Link blinked as the fog of sleep rolled back. His eyes adjusted.

"Paya," he said simply.

The young Sheikah woman sat on a stool near the end of his bed, watching him with wide, earnest eyes. A candle flickered in one corner of the unfamiliar room, casting its wan light on the varnished walls. Link felt his body catch up to him, then – sore muscles and reddened skin flared up with pain.

"Snappity-snap!" another voice spoke. "And just like that, Linky's awake! Nice one!"

Purah, the old Sheikah with the young face, stepped into the faint light. "And, yes, my grandniece _has_ been watching over you." Her voice dropped. "Even Calamity Ganon itself wouldn't have been able to drag her away."

Paya cringed and flushed red.

"Kakariko…?" said Link.

Purah shook her head. "Nuh-uh!" she said with a grin. "We're not in Kakariko, if that's what you were asking with your usual level of eloquence."

"Then…?"

"You're in my Tech Laaab, of course!" said Purah in a sing-song voice. "I can't believe the Yiga hid a shrine right under my nose. Literally!" Her lips fluttered as she blew a long breath through them. "The rats!"

Link blinked. "How did you know?"

"That it was the Yiga?" said Purah. "You kept muttering about it in your sleep. Yiga. Shrine. Yiga. Shrine. Yiga. Shrine. Princess princess princess. Yiga. Shrine."

Link narrowed his eyes. Paya bit her lower lip and looked away out of embarrassment for the knight.

"Don't worry your pretty little head, Linky," Purah continued. "I've taken care of it now. Symin had plenty of spare, volatile parts to dump into that hole you made." The small bespectacled Sheikah sniffed. "The Yiga won't be using _that_ shrine anymore – no way."

Paya finally found her voice. "I-I think Master Link needs to rest."

"In your bed, you mean."

Paya's jaw dropped. " _What?"_

"What?" Link added in chorus.

Purah wore a look of feigned innocence. "Isn't he in the bed you use whenever you come to visit?" She sniggered softly, then shuffled over to her grandniece and pinched the younger woman's cheek. "You're _so_ easy to tease, girl."

Link swung his legs out of the bed in question. He was gratified to see that neither of the two women had tried to remove his clothes. "I need to go."

"So soon?" said Purah. "Well, ho _kay."_ Her usually carefree voice held just a hint of irritation. _"_ Just be sure to visit again the next time you're on your deathbed."

Link decided to ignore her and turned instead to Paya. "Impa…?"

The young woman shifted on her stool, then pointed. It was then that Link noticed that there was another bed in the room. Impa lay there, her breathing soft and her face peaceful.

"No change," said Paya.

"Mmm-hmm, mmm-hmm!" said Purah. "I had Symin and Paya bring my baby sister here in secret. All the better to look after her."

Link stood up. Paya followed him with her eyes.

"You're really going, Master Link?" she said.

The knight nodded. "I need to find the princess."

Just saying that out loud soothed his heart somewhat. Determination drove away the last of his fatigue and reduced his bruises to a distant throb. He felt the stiffness in his face relax.

Purah's long lashes fluttered behind her spectacles as she regarded the knight for a moment. "Hmm, I guess we're all born to fight in some way," she murmured. "On the battlefield, or in ourselves. And then you have the poor ikkle chosen ones who have to do both."

Link turned his head her way. "Meaning…?"

"I _saiiid,_ " Purah replied in another sing-song voice. "Do you even know where Zelda is…?"

"That's not what you s-"

"Yes, it is." Purah raised her chin in defiance and folded her arms.

Link sighed. "I don't know where she is," he replied. "Do you…?"

Purah's voice softened. "I have no clue, Linky," she said. "That's why it's dear sister in that bed over there and not me." She regarded him for another moment. "I suppose you have no idea of what's killed all the tech, do you…?"

Link shook his head, and said no more. His eyes tracked around the room.

Purah understood instantly. "Your gear's in that corner o-ver theeeere!"she said, pointing. "Nice to see you're still using the Ancient Bow."

Link rose off of the bed and walked over to the corner in question to quickly scoop up his weapons and equipment. Without even another glance back, he opened the door and slipped out.

* * *

Paya wore a pensive look as she stared at the door swinging shut.

"Wasting your time with that one," said Purah.

Eyes still fixed on the door, Paya gave a weak smile. "I think his heart is with another."

She didn't like it. But she accepted it. Bitterness wasn't something that could ever find a home in Paya's soul. If only she could _help_ him somehow…

"Logical conclusion," the older Sheikah replied. "BUT! Not what I meant!"

Paya, used to her grandaunt's odd manner, turned her way for a moment. "He mumbled things in his sleep," she said. "First kill. Regret. For Hyrule." She stopped there.

Another word had tumbled from Link's sleeping lips, one spoken in a voice that had broken her heart: _Worthless._

Purah sighed. "Mmm-hmm," she said. "He truly believes with all his little heart that he doesn't deserve any good that comes to him." She shrugged. "That's what Impy told me, anyhoo."

Paya nodded, letting the words sink in, as though her grandaunt had finally confirmed something for her, then slipped off the stool and went off to follow Link. The wooden floorboards of the lab sprung gently under her feet, and Paya recalled the past three days she'd spent watching the knight in his sleep. He might not want her affections, but she liked to think he still needed her.

Paya thought on something Impa had taught her once, a lesson to help her with her nerves. Her grandmother had said that true life was a living heart. Some people ate, talk and slept like everyone else, but their souls had withered and died. A living heart was at rest, even when broken, free from grudges and hate, and could even swat doubt aside.

 _It never feels doubt?_ Paya remembered asking.

 _That's not what I said, child,_ her grandmother had replied. _Don't overthink is what I'm saying. You don't have to surrender to your every thought and feeling._

And then Impa had spoken of the heart caught between life and death, tortured by the choices it had made. It stood on the precipice – it could fall into the abyss, or soar to the heavens. In the little time she'd known him, coupled with what her grandmother had said about him, Paya had thought of Link as having a living heart. Now she wasn't so sure.

The sun warmed her face as she stepped outside. Link sat on the grass just in front of the lab, polishing the Master Sword with a cloth as the shadow of drifting clouds floated over him. A glance to her right found the dark carcass of the Guardian he'd spilled out of when she'd been tending to the furnace.

Her heart thudded loudly as it always did when she approached the Master Sword's chosen one. Down the slope, she saw the village of Hateno rise in her line of sight, and heard the creak of its slowly spinning windmills. A waterfall roared in the distance, the froth at its base catching sprinkles of golden sunlight.

Link didn't look up when she came to a stop behind him.

"W-where will you go?" she said.

"To find her," he replied.

That wasn't what she'd asked. She waited for a moment, trying to think of something else to say. "I like that you're so quiet."

She cringed inwardly at what her tongue had blurted out. She'd said she _liked_ something about him!

Link paused in mid-polish. There was a long pause before the Hylian knight replied. "Words cause arguments," he said. "Arguments cause wars. Wars need people like me."

Paya blinked in surprise. It was true; she did like how quiet he was. The few other men she'd observed were loud braggarts, and Link seemed so different to them. When that type fought, it was anger and malice that drove them.

Not so with Link - at least that's how it had looked to her when he'd defended Kakariko from the Yiga attack. She'd also admired his calm composure, completely opposite as it was to her own flighty thoughts and feelings. That's why she'd thought him the very embodiment of the living heart her grandmother had spoken of.

But what Link had said just now saddened her.

"Master Link," she said, placing her palm on his shoulder.

He didn't react in any way, and Paya felt a sudden rush of alarmed self-consciousness. What was she doing, touching him like that…? She should just walk away and leave him alone.

Paya half-turned – and then stopped. Her grandaunt was looking at her through one of the lab's windows. Paya felt a sudden reserve of inner steel.

 _I don't have to be scared,_ she thought. _I know I can help._

Paya turned back. " _Master Link_ ," she repeated, this time with a little more firmness.

Link seemed to notice this time as now he looked up.

"Y-you're a hero, Master Link," she said, unable to keep the stammer from her voice. Her every instinct still screamed at her to just run away, but she let her feet grow heavy and held her ground. "B-but you're _more_ than that. You're a good person."

Her breathing quickened. Perspiration sprung out all over her skin, so much so that she lifted her hand off of Link's shoulder in case he should notice. "And a g-good person doesn't have to be perfect," she went on, not even knowing what she was saying until she'd said it. "They can forgive. They f-forgive _themselves._ "

And that was all the young Sheikah woman could stand. She strode off, her cheeks burning, and didn't bother to see if Link had reacted. As she drew closer to the lab, her eyes locked with Purah's. Her grandaunt gave her a small smile.

* * *

"Sooo," said Purah. She was stood a stool - the Director's Podium, as she called it - and she cradled a steaming mug. "Is Linky still out there?"

Paya glanced toward the lab's front door. The reddish light of the descending sun poured in through the building's windows. She'd been out twice since speaking to Link – both times to give him a plate of bread and simmered fruit – and she'd found him exactly where she'd left him.

"I think so," she replied. "You sound like you don't you want him around. He did save us all, after all."

Her grandaunt sighed. "Oh, don't mind me," she replied, then sang, "Just feeling a little cran-kyyy."

"Because of the Yiga shrine…?"

"Mmm-hmm…" Purah sighed again. "What _are_ they planning? And what were they doing with Linky? I'd ask him, but I don't have another hundred years to spare waiting while he finishes a sentence. Not one for chit-chat, is he?"

Paya turned at the sound of the door opening. Her heart fluttered at the sight of Link entering, but her keen eyes noticed something else. Though he still wore the same haunted look he always did, he seemed a little bit more relaxed in his general demeanour.

The two Sheikah women waited until the knight reached them.

"So," he said, running his hand through his hair in a plainly self-conscious gesture. "Um. Thank you both. For keeping an eye over me."

Watching Link attempt a smile made Paya hold back a smile of her own. She didn't know if her words had had any effect – she hadn't really expected them to, or even known _how_ he'd be changed by them - but it was nice to see Link seem a little more…like an actual person than a legendary hero.

Purah had said nothing. She took a slow sip from her mug.

And then burst into life.

"Snappity-snap, would you listen to that?" she grinned. "No need for thanks, Linky! We always welcome the chance to look after pretty young boys, don't we, Paya?"

Paya looked away quickly, hot blood rushing to her face. _So inappropriate_!

"Seriously, though," Purah went on. "We're both always here for you. You're not alone, Linky. I hope you know that."

Link gave a short nod of acknowledgement and tried another smile. Paya guessed that his reserved manner had always been his natural state. She was glad. The alternative was that his experiences – whatever they had actually been - had twisted his whole personality, and she couldn't bear to ponder that.

"Lessee now," Purah continued. "You've spent the whole day sitting outside and have come to conclusion you actually need a bit of help to find the princess – right?"

Link stiffened for a moment, then relaxed and gave another nod.

"You _can_ say 'yes', y'know?" said Purah.

"Yes," said Link with a lop-sided attempt at a smile. "I need help."

Purah took another sip from her hot drink. "Well, then," she said. "Let's not dilly-dally. You tell me about what happened to you in that shrine, and I'll figure out how to find the princess…"


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

 _Princess Zelda stopped in the castle's corridor to greet the royal court's young poet. "Makata," she said with a smile._

" _My lady," he replied._

" _Have you any new compositions to take my mind off my myriad burdens…?"_

 _The only Sheikah in the castle returned her smile and gave a theatrical bow. Despite his youth, the bard was supremely talented. Zelda had even heard that Makata was already searching for an apprentice._

" _Many, princess," he said. "And especially for you, but…ah –" He glanced over Zelda's shoulder. Link stood behind her, face half in shadow from his Hylian hood. "Perhaps a more private performance…? I've always wanted to display my talents to an audience of one."_

 _For some odd reason, this prompted Link to take a step closer. Makata noticed, his lips drawing taut under an odd look in his eyes._

" _I'm entirely trustworthy," he said, his voice still holding his earlier good cheer. "I assure you."_

 _Link held his position. Ever since she'd given her apology, things seemed to have improved between Zelda and her knight. He certainly spoke to her more, though even that was less than any other person. And the feelings she'd experienced had subsided somewhat, so much so that they seemed like a dream now. She was too busy with her research to think of them, anyway._

" _Oh, Makata, you know my family trust you implicitly," the princess said as she returned to the moment. "But a private performance will not be necessary, thank you." She glanced at her knight and, despite herself, felt the flutter of those self-same feelings once again. "Where I go, Link goes…"_

/||\

" _My teacher was of the Sheikah tribe," the Rito bard, Kass explained. "He was the court poet for the Hyrulean royal family. At the time, there was a beautiful princess in the royal family, quite close to my teacher in age, apparently. Though he must have known it was doomed to be unrequited, my teacher fell in love with her."_

 _Kass shifted his wings to better handle the weight of his accordion, then continued. "But the princess herself only had eyes for her escort, her own knight attendant. My teacher was consumed with jealousy. He fumed that the knight was neither nobility nor royalty himself. And then the Calamity struck…"_

/||\

A chorus of fluttering fabric greeted Princess Zelda as her captors led her past Akkala Tower into the Highlands beyond. Tents blanketed the vast expanse, eating up every inch of space between the trees with the tan leaves and the moss-covered remains of dead Guardians.

The moon floated in a starlit sky, and the shadow of a large bird seemed to pass through a shaft of its ghostly light.

Her wrists bound, Zelda bounced along on a horse surrounded by Hylian riders, their number now increased to ten. A lump on her head throbbed. The reinforcements had arrived not too long after their initial capture, and one of them – dressed in a foppish red tunic; she wasn't about to forget him at all – had struck her after she'd protested their treatment of her.

She had spent the rest of the journey in a blurred haze of pain as a result. Only in the last few hours had she become fully awake. Zelda wasn't even aware of how long she'd been out, but the brief snippets of conversation she'd had with Prince Sidon had told her that, due to the party making a lot of stops, it had been over a week.

And still her power hadn't returned.

The prince walked on ahead, deep in conversation with a man Zelda took to be the party's leader. They knew of the Zora, or so the princess had learned, and had allowed him to go free. Sidon had instead stayed, trying to negotiate Zelda's release in hushed conversation.

This was intolerable. Zelda recalled how quickly her joy at sealing the Calamity had faded once she had followed Link out of Hyrule Castle after her one hundred year battle. Castle Town stood in ruins. Hyrule Cathedral had fallen. Places that had once bustled with life and laughter now seemed desolate and dead.

That was the first inkling she'd had about how difficult her task would be. Now, sitting her as a prisoner of her own people, she felt the point rammed home with cruel eloquence.

"What is going on?" the princess asked, determined to break free of her glum thoughts. She looked out over the forest of tents. "Why such a large encampment…?"

The leader – Zelda still didn't know his name, even after all these long days of painful travel – glanced over his shoulder at her. An _insolent_ glance, Zelda decided. His mouth stayed set in a thin line, and then he turned back.

Zelda's brow furrowed. Silence she could take from her appointed knight, but not from _this_ man.

"Answer me!"

He glanced back at her again. "I don't answer to an imposter."

She glared. "I tell you, I _am_ Princess Zelda!"

"Show us some of your powers then," he retorted. "Oh wait, you can't."

A chuckle rippled around the other Hylians. The fop in red then spoke up. "Doesn't that prove she _is_ the princess, Bodho?" he said. "Don't all the stories say the princess couldn't muster up the sealing power she needed?"

Bodho nodded thoughtfully. "True, true," he said. "If not for the fact that King Skyr's already told us to be on the lookout for a pretender."

 _King…?_

"Is my uncle here…?" asked Zelda.

"No, the king is not," Bodho replied, making a point to emphasise the title. "The image of his face comes to us in a cloud of fire and smoke. True magic. That's how we know he is who says he is."

Zelda bit back a reply. _And I thought_ _ **myself**_ _to be the naïve one!_

Prince Sidon turned to her now, with a look on his face that told her to stay calm.

"Still," said Bodho as he gestured for the party to slow down in their approach to the camp. "There _is_ someone here who could give your claim the lie."

The princess frowned. "Who…?"

The Hylian said nothing. Zelda sighed and looked down at her bound hands. Fireflies with an emerald glow floated around her wrists.

She tried to summon her magic, but all she felt was a profound hollowness in her heart. It was a feeling she hadn't had for over a hundred years.

 _I was in too much haste,_ she thought. _Once I learned that Link was in Hateno, I rushed off without thinking to ask the Great Deku Tree how long I would be without my power._

They took a winding path through the tents, the horses slowly trotting through the dirt. Zelda ignored the stares she received from the passing Hylians. Lanterns hung from poles thrust awkwardly into the ground, and smoke drifting from myriad cook fires made her nose twitch at the scent of spices and sizzling meat. Her stomach growled. She hadn't eaten in a while.

The path widened out into a circular clearing illuminated by lantern-light, and what Zelda saw there made her eyes slowly widen. Bound by chains around its hooves and neck there stood –

"A Silver Lynel," Zelda gasped. "How…?"

A smug smile overtook Bodho's face. "A gift from the new king," he said. "It even responds to our commands. Though we keep it chained up – just in case, you understand." He flicked her a glance. "Do you have anything to offer that could possibly compare, 'princess?'"

Zelda wasn't listening. A Silver Lynel was the most dangerous of the species; she knew this from her research, but something else occupied the princess now. She'd spotted something tucked deep in the beast's mane. Something with a blinking light.

 _Tech. Sheikah tech._ And then everything fell into place. _It's the Yiga and their Herald. They are the ones driving this plot. That's how these Hylians are controlling the Lynel. That means –_

"My unc –" Zelda stopped herself. "The king," she said. "When will he next address you?"

Bodho shrugged. "Whenever he chooses."

"I need to speak with him," Zelda replied. "Urgently."

Bodho chuckled. "Well, you will," he said. "He is to decide your fate, after all." He stopped. "But first, I'd like you to meet someone."

Metal clinked. Zelda hadn't even noticed the cage they'd stopped next to. And when she peered inside, her eyes widened for the second time.

"Makata…?!" She gazed down from the saddle. The poet had changed, his face lined with age, his silver hair thin. "I believed you dead…"

"Dead?" said the Sheikah. "No, not I. I passed on everything I knew to a Rito child I was teaching. My last words, as it were. Then I exiled myself."

"So, it's true," said Bodho. "You know this girl…?"

Makata looked from Zelda to Bodho, then back to Zelda. Reflected torchlight danced in the pupils of his eyes as he stared at her. The princess swallowed. Something wasn't right. Her heart began to sink…

"What's her name?" Bodho asked.

Makata fixed his gaze on the princess for a moment more. A torch popped somewhere nearby, the only sound in the air. And then he gave a slight shake of his head. "How would I know?" he said. "I've never seen her before in my life."

Zelda's jaw dropped open. "Makata!" she cried. " _Why?"_

"Makata?" said the Sheikah. He shook his head again. "No, no. My name is Kass."

Prince Sidon stormed up to the cage. "Still that lying tongue, cur," he said, golden eyes flashing with a rare burst of anger. "You know _well_ this is Princess Zelda."

"I've heard enough," said Bodho. "Put the girl in a cage."

Her captors bade her to dismount from the horse, and as she did so, Zelda's eyes locked with Prince Sidon's. The Zora wore an uncharacteristically grim expression. She could tell that his flexing fingers wanted to form fists. This time it was Zelda who sent him a look pleading for calm.

They had to wait. Be patient, and bide their time until her powers returned.

 _And then what…? Slaughter my own people in a bid for freedom…?_

They put her in a cage parallel to Makata's. Zelda made a point of not looking his way as she entered, and when she sat down on the dusty floor she fixed her gaze instead on a pool of marble moonlight on the ground in front. Another bird-shaped shadow crossed it.

Molten anger plumed in Zelda's heart. She remembered how the noblemen and women of the court used to whisper behind Makata's back. _You can't trust a Sheikah,_ they used to say. _I can't believe the king even allows his sort._

Zelda had been one of the few people who had defended him. He'd even written poems to her out of gratitude. And now he did _this?!_

The Sheikah finally spoke when the Hylians, a glum Prince Sidon in tow, left them alone. "It's you," he whispered. "It's really you. Please. I know how we can get out of here. Both of us. I never tried before because I just didn't care. But now you're here…"

Zelda didn't react. Rage fuelled by his betrayal had set her jaw stiff.

"Listen," he hissed. "If I told them who you were, they'd have – they'd have – well, I don't know. But I can't imagine it would've been anything good."

Restless crickets chirped in the night all around them. When Makata spoke again, it was in a quiet, shivering voice. "You're still as beautiful as I remember."

Zelda had been brought up with too much decorum to roll her eyes, but she felt sorely tempted to break courtly protocol just right now. The bump on her head began to throb again.

"You don't have your knight with you," he continued. "I…I saw how he tried to sacrifice himself. All those years ago. I dedicated songs to his memory. But if he's gone now, we can finally –"

His words died on his tongue, but Zelda's curiosity had been piqued. "Finally what?"

Makata inhaled deeply. "Princess," he said. "I love you."

" _What?_ "

"I've always loved you," he insisted. Words spilled from his lips. "Even though I know you would never feel the same. And I will prove it to you now. So that you look at me the way you used to look at _him._ These Hylians ruffians are always gambling on fights. I will get us out of here, and-and-and then we will be married."

Zelda snapped her head his way. "Have you lost your mind?"

"There's nothing holding us back now," he said, a desperate twist in his voice. The shadows of the metal bars crossed his face. "And, even though I'm old now, I hope you can grow to love me, too."

"Stop this, Makata," Zelda said in a steely voice. "Stop this now."

The Sheikah's only reply was to stand and, with a small food bowl made of metal, he started banging on the bars. "Hey!" he shouted as the sound of clanging steel rang through the air. "Hey! Get over here!"

An annoyed Bodho soon came strolling back, torch in hand. Prince Sidon followed behind slowly.

"What do you want?" the Hylian spat.

"Fight night," said Makata. The princess watched from her cage with curious eyes. "When is tonight's fight?"

"There isn't one," Bodho growled. "I've only just got back."

The Sheikah curled his hands around the bars. "They've been having them even when you were gone."

"Then ask _them._ " The Hylian turned to leave.

"I have a wager!" Makata blurted.

Bodho paused. "You?" he sneered. "You've got nothing to offer."

"I _do_ know this girl!" the Sheikah said, pointing with a trembling hand towards Zelda. "I know everything. And I'll tell you. If I lose."

"And if you win?"

Makata stared hard at the Hylian. "You allow us both to go free."

Bodho threw back his head and laughed. "We could just beat the information out of you," he said. More Hylians had begun to join them. " _If_ you even have it. You seem to be changing your story a lot." He met Makata's glare. "The king wants this girl. I'm not losing her to Sheikah scum like you."

Zelda glowered from the shadows of her cage. _Am I some mere commodity to be bartered for…?_

"So," said Makata, a near-hysterical tilt to his voice. "You admit there's a possibility you could lose." He looked around at the other Hylians. "You hear that? He's afraid he could lose!"

"I'm done with this," said Bodho.

The fop in red sidled up to him. "What's the harm in it, Bo?" he said. "We could all place a few bets. Be easy money."

Murmurs of agreement rose from the crowd. Bodho sighed. "Always knew you Sheikah were sneaky."

"So we're going to fight?" said Makata his voice rising with hope. "For the girl?"

" _I'm_ not going to do anything," the Hylian replied. "The Lynel is."

The poet stumbled back, his face blanching. He swallowed, then looked over to Zelda's cage. She stood up.

"Stop this foolishness, Makata."

"They'll write songs about this," he breathed. "Tell my tale truly." His grasping fingers reached through the bars and his voice began to shiver again. "Just-just tell me. Please. Did you – did you ever feel anything for me…? Even just a little…?"

The princess opened her mouth to reply – when she noticed a commotion in the crowd. They were pointing at the sky. Zelda looked up. The shadow of a huge bird crossed the moon's path again. She blinked, her eyes straining.

 _That's not a bird!_

It was a _Rito._

Bodho, oblivious, had Makata's attention again. The Hylian leaned in. "Well?" he said with a grin. "What do you say? A fight with my Lynel?"

The Hylians behind scattered as the Rito swooped in close. Zelda stepped up to the bars - there was someone on the winged creature's back; someone who leapt off and hit the ground in a spray of churned up dirt.

Bodho hadn't taken his eyes off the Sheikah. "Still willing to step up to the plate?"

"He's not."

Bodho spun around.

Link stood tall before him. "But _I_ am."

* * *

They'd let her out of the cage – unlike Makata - but still kept her hands tied. Zelda sat amongst the Hylian crowd, Prince Sidon to her left, Hylians squashing her in to the right. They spat and cackled as they waited for the show.

 _My people…_

Zelda kept her eyes fixed on the clearing where the Lynel stood. A knot of tension tightened within her as she watched and waited, trying to ignore the base and rowdy shouts that rung all around her. She felt a slight shiver from the chill night air.

Link stood off to one side, speaking to the serious-faced Rito who had brought him here. Zelda felt a sudden ache in her heart. She so wanted to be over there with him as well.

The crowd stirred as Link made his way into the lit clearing. While the Lynel had no weapons itself, the knight had been allowed to use just the one. For some reason, he'd opted to use an Ancient Short Sword, the blade's pale blue glow stark against the background of the night. Zelda knew he hadn't been carrying one before, and wondered where he'd acquired one since the last time she'd seen him.

Prince Sidon cupped his mouth with his hands. "I believe in you, young one!" his deep voice bellowed. He then turned to one of the Hylian's sat beside him and spoke in a quieter voice. "I believe in him, you know."

"Don't care," the Hylian spat. "I'm here to see a good beating."

"Charming," Sidon replied. "A credit to your species, you are."

"Thanks," said the Hylian. "We get at least one a night. I'm addicted."

"Indeed," Sidon replied sagely. "One can never have too many beatings in one's life. I wish you many in yours."

A hush fell over the crowd. The Lynel snorted, lowering its horned head and pawed at the dirt with one hoof. They'd released all but one its bonds. A single metal ring still stayed clasped to one of the Lynel's hind hooves, and a clinking chain led from it to a metal release plate where a Hylian stood with an Iron Sledgehammer.

Link moved in closer at a slow pace. Zelda narrowed her eyes.

 _Is he injured…?_ What had he endured under the Yiga, she wondered…? What had he spent to escape from them…? She knew he had a single healing fairy that he'd taken from a Great Fairy Fountain, but either he'd used it already, or chose not to heal his wounds.

Link had also told her about the powers each of the Champions had granted him once he'd free them from Ganon, but with their spirits at rest now, those powers had long gone. How she dearly wished he still had Daruk's Protection, or Urbosa's Fury, or even Revali's Gale to flee!

The sledgehammer dropped. The crowd roared. And the Lynel burst into a snorting run, head down with steam trailing from its nose.

Link stiffened – and so did Zelda. He pivoted away on his heel at the very last moment, but the Lynel still caught him a glancing blow to the flank that sent him spinning into the air.

The crowd ooh-ed. Zelda felt her every muscle clench. Her eyes stung.

"Stay focussed, Link!" Prince Sidon shouted. "You have him now!"

Zelda heard the surrounding Hylians tittering at the Zora's words. The sound of galloping hooves brought her back to the fight. Link dragged himself to his feet as the Lynel circled around him.

The beast charged again. A ferocious roar burst from the crowd. Zelda's breath stuck in her throat –

And Link dodged with a leap. Time blurred and slowed. The azure glow of the Ancient Short Sword burned incandescent trails in the air as Link slashed and struck. When time returned, the knight had managed to mount the Lynel and continued wailing away with his sword. The beast reared up on its hind legs as the crowd reached a fever pitch of noise.

Hope made Zelda's hand curl into fists. _He's winning! He's winning! He -_

The Lynel reached up with its massive hand, caught Link by the back of his shirt, then threw him up over its head and sent him crashing into the ground. The crowd gasped. Zelda shot to her feet.

Link stumbled back up, only for the Lynel to catch him with another hit. His ancient sword flew spinning out of his grasp. The Hylian crowd cheered. Link staggered back. More cheers, pitched with almost bloodthirsty glee. A second blow brought the knight down to one knee.

 _No!_ Zelda's heart caught. _I've only just got him back! I can't lose him n-_

An ice-white glow suddenly engulfed her hands. She clenched her fists again, and the rope around her wrists vaporised instantly. She raised a glowing palm.

" _Enough!"_

A blast of powerful energy exploded from her hand and ploughed into the Lynel. The creature staggered back, roaring in pain and rage, before it rose up on its hind legs again and dropped to its front knees.

A hush fell over the crowd like a shroud. The Lynel darkened, then exploded in a curl of purple-black smoke.

Zelda stood there, trembling palm still, her breathing heavy. Eyes turned her way. Some of the Hylians dropped to their knees. Others drew their swords. Prince Sidon reacted swiftly, standing up to pull his Ceremonial Trident free.

Zelda ignored them all. She leapt out of the crowd and broke into a run, her eyes fixed on only one person. Link took a shaky step back to his feet, and the princess flung her arms around him in a tight hug.

"You're alive," she breathed, as she brought her head to rest against his chest. "You're here."

Link stiffened. His hand rose, hesitatingly at first, and then with more intent. His fingers gently touched the swell on her head.

And there they stood in their awkward embrace, framed by a thin lining of silver moonlight, the princess clutched to her knight, the knight's fingers softly resting on her head, together once again.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

 _The young Princess Zelda flung herself onto her bed and buried her face in the pillow. The fabric began to dampen as he tears flowed. Her weeping was soft and gentle. Her manners wouldn't allow for anything louder._

 _She felt someone's hand come to rest on the small of her back._

" _Now what has brought this on, my petal?" her father said._

" _Why are people so ill-mannered and full of spite?" she demanded._

 _The king didn't ask for the details. His calm reply came quickly._ " _So that you could show them patience, forbearance and forgiveness. Everything that befits one such as yourself."_

 _Zelda looked up, sniffing. Her father used his sleeve to wipe away her tears. He smiled._

" _This is what it truly means to be a princess…"_

/||\

They'd given her a simple wooden chair. Splinters cut through her creased and dirty tunic. One of the legs was shorter than the rest, so the whole thing rocked slightly whenever she moved. Here it was, then. Her throne of nothing.

 _Are you proud of me now, Father?_ Princess Zelda mused. _It hardly compares to your throne of marble, dragonhide and ancient tech, does it?_

The princess sat within one of the tents pitched on the Akkala Highlands. Prince Sidon lounged against one of the tall, wooden posts and the Rito – whose name, she learned, was Teba – paced behind a kneeling Bodho.

One person was absent. The only one that truly mattered. She saw his absence with her eyes, and felt it in the pit of her heart.

Link.

Only a single hasty exchange had passed between them, and then he'd gone.

She'd learned about his escape from the hidden Yiga shrine, and how he'd yet to fully recover from the electrical wounds he'd endured there. No wonder he had seemed so off during the Silver Lynel fight.

He, in turn, had asked what had happened to her, specifically how she'd come by the swell on her head. And then he'd abruptly left, claiming he had something to do somewhere in the camp.

At least he hadn't gone far, then. But still. Zelda's stomach clenched with an icy grip. _How can he walk away from me so easily now?_ she thought. _Have I upset him in some manner?_ The hug, perhaps. It had been a bit forward, true, but she'd been barely able to contain her joy.

Bodho's voice brought her back to the present. "And I speak for all of us," he said. "When I say we wish to pledge ourselves to you, my lady."

Zelda couldn't quite bring herself to look directly at him. She kept glancing to and fro, looking from him to the thick folds of the tent's pale lavender cloth that so ably kept out the heat of the sun.

The Hylian man seemed a little unnerved by her silence. "We…we all saw what you did," he said. "Each and every one of us. We know now that you _are_ Princess Zelda, returned to us after all this time."

Had he forgotten how he'd treated her…? How one of his men had struck her…? Zelda had learned the name of _that_ particular man's name. The fop in red was called Jadson. She didn't want to see _him_ again, and she felt a sudden urge to have Bodho out of her sight as well.

The princess cleared her throat. "Thank you," she said in a drained voice. Her hands fidgeted in her lap. "I…I need to think on this further."

Bodho stood up, blinking uncertainly. "Of-of course," he said. No longer did he seem like someone to be feared. Now he seemed nothing more than a small, nervous man. Zelda finally fixed her gaze upon him. He moved to speak again.

"I'll…" A wedge of sunlight spilled across the grassy floor. The Hylian turned to see that Teba was holding the tent's flap open for him. Without another word, Bodho hurried out.

The Rito let the fabric slip from his hand, then turned to the princess. "You seem uneasy."

Her eyes swung to meet Teba's proud face. This was the valiant Rito that had helped Link board Vah Medoh, or so she had learned. More recently, he had responded to a request Purah had made to his chief. She'd needed someone to help Link track the party that had taken Zelda – news of the 'imposter princess' and her capture had reached Purah's ears in Hateno. Teba had stepped up to the task.

The Rito waited for her to speak. Zelda sighed. "This…" she began, unsure on how she should phrase her misgivings. "These people…they are not what I expected when I set out to restore my kingdom."

There. She'd said it.

Zelda hadn't expected court nobility, but she had hoped for more than the baying hunger that these Hylians had so eagerly displayed during Link's Hynel fight.

That wasn't all, though. The Hylians had only been swayed to her side after her display of power. A nagging doubt nudged at her heart - was she just taking advantage of their naivete just like her uncle...?

Prince Sidon was next to speak. "Isn't this what you wanted?" he said gentle voice. "And more – it appears you now have a grand army at your disposal."

"I did not wish for an army," Zelda said softly. "Just a kingdom."

Teba yanked the tent's flap open again. "Take a good look, princess," he said in a gruff voice. "This _is_ your kingdom. These people. This is how kingdoms begin. With the dregs at the very bottom."

Zelda stared out through the opening. A pair of Hylian women strolled past, the hems of their skirted tunics tattered. They threw shy glances towards the tent. Shouts and the rhythmic clank of metal on metal rang through the air. Wide-eyed children with dirt lining their faces chased each other in circles.

 _My kingdom…_

"The bird speaks truly," said Sidon, earning himself a withering look from Teba. "They're ready to pledge to you. They've already been organised. You just have to tame them a little. Think of them as clay to be moulded. Simplicity itself for someone of _your_ gentle manner."

Zelda felt the sides of her head begin to throb. She dearly wished Urbosa was here, if only so she could listen to some advice from someone who wasn't a male!

She turned her head slightly to address the prince. "Organised, you said," she repeated. "Did you discover why they're all camped here…?"

The Zora nodded. "I have indeed," he replied happily. "For some reason, the ladies here are very eager to speak with me. They spill quite a fair bit, if I may say."

Zelda wasn't quite sure what to make of that, but decided she just _had_ to look away. Teba slowly shook his head as well.

Sidon didn't notice. "It appears your uncle – if it is truly him – ordered them to march here," he explained. "With Lake Akkala so close by, they'd be well-watered. And both Goron City and Zora's Domain are within easy reach. Relatively speaking."

"Easy reach of what…?"

"Attack, obviously," said Teba.

"Indeed," said Prince Sidon. His solemn golden eyes brought a clammy touch of disquiet to Zelda's heart. "They brought everyone with them – the men, the women and even the children. From here, once they'd gathered enough Hylians, the plan was to try and overrun all the other races of Hyrule."

"A power grab," Teba growled. He yanked a feather back toward the tent flap. "And this lot are meant to be warriors? I don't see it."

"They are not," Zelda replied softly. "They're just ordinary folk."

"Look how quickly this camp was formed," Teba went on. " _Someone's_ in a hurry."

Zelda's eyes narrowed in thought, chasing the Rito's words to their logical conclusion. "Where _is_ my uncle?" she said. "Why does he not show himself in person…?"

"More importantly," said the Rito. "Are you still not going to take these people under your wing? You said it yourself - they're just ordinary folk. You're still going to walk away? Somehow, I don't buy it."

His words struck her heart like an arrow. A heavy weight fell on her shoulders.

These lives here in this camp were hers to command – _and_ hers to protect. They were not soldiers, especially not the children. Uncle Skyr was using them. On behalf of the Yiga or just for himself, it mattered not. The Hylians had no protector. _She_ had to be their shield, no matter how they'd misreated her.

Her father's words ghosted back into her mind. _This is what it truly means to be a princess…_

"Princess Zelda," said Teba. "I'm going. I trust you with the Hylians here, but I can't let my village stay in ignorance after what I've learned today. I'm sure Prince Sidon will want to do the same with his people."

"Oh, I think I can stay a tad longer," the Zora replied. "I have other ways of contacting my people. Not to ruffle your feathers or anything, young one."

Teba's eyes thinned to slits. Zelda quickly intervened.

"Thank you," she said. "For everything, Teba."

"Pleasure," he replied. "Always wanted to meet this Hylian princess of Revali's."

Zelda smiled and bowed her head. "If I could ask of one last thing of you…?"

"Ask."

"Could you call Bodho back in here, please?" Her eyes locked with the Rito's. "I'm ready to respond to his request."

Teba's beak curved into a smile. "Knew you had it in you."

Zelda leaned back in her chair as the Rito moved to leave. She was the queen – if not in name, than in stature. She certainly didn't look the part with her Champion's tunic all creased and grimy, but she was the queen, nonetheless.

It was what she'd wanted, what she'd set out to do. She had it in her grasp now –

 _So why is my heart so beset with misery?_

Teba opened the flap – only to be almost bowled over by a flustered Bodho running back in.

"Princess!" he huffed.

Zelda bolted up straight. "What is it?" she said. "What's the matter?"

 _Link,_ she thought instinctively.

But that wasn't what the Hylian had come to report.

"The Sheikah," he breathed. "The one we were…were holding prisoner. Princess – he's escaped."

* * *

The small tent housed Jadson, his best friend Madson, and a crowd of some other Hylians. They had names, but Jadson hadn't been bothered to remember them. Hylians came in all shapes and sizes, enwrapped in myriad fabrics, both the rough and the smooth. None of them compared to him, of course.

Still dressed in his favourite silk tunic of red, Jadson took a quick glance around and felt sure that no one else could compete with his style. The others probably felt honoured at him simply being here.

"Bodho, eh?" he said. "See how he's bowing and scraping at the feet of that girl now?"

"Bowin' and scrapin,'" Madson affirmed with a nod.

"Hey now," someone said. "She's the princess, don't you know? And you hit her, Jadson. Isn't that like-like… worthy of getting your hand chopped off or something…?"

Jadson gave a dismissive wave. No imagination, these people. "On the contrary, my good man," he replied. "Wouldn't be surprised if she pays my tent a visit after midnight." Jadson winked. "To ask for more."

"More," Madson repeated.

"I know how these high and noble girls are," Jadson went on. "All prim and proper on the outside, but inside…oh _my_!" He tittered at his own joke. "I'm a fighter and a lover."

"Are ya?" one of the women said. "Heard you're more in the construction trade."

Jadson scowled. He hated being reminded of that. Some insane group of workers kept trying to recruit both Madson and himself – all on the bizarre account of their names ending in '–son.'

Behind him came the sound of the tent flap opening. Metal clinked as the newcomer stepped in. Everyone but Jadson and his friend looked up. Everyone's eyes widened. And then everyone rushed past the two friends and out of the tent.

Jadson frowned. "Hey…hey, where are you all going…?"

"Where?" said Madson, mimicking his friend's frown.

No-one answered, and soon the tent was empty save for the two friends. Jadson's ears twitched. He heard soft clink of metal. He turned, Madson following suit, and saw what stood there.

It was the one they called Link, the one they said was a knight. The youngster had his mouth set in a rigid line, his eyes covered in the shadow of his hood.

Jadson held out his palms. "What?"

"What?" said Madson.

Link said nothing. Jadson felt his skin crawl. He felt certain the knight was glaring at him under that hood of his.

"Why you looking at me like that?" he said. "Hey, what's that look for?" He turned to Madson. "Why's he looking at me like that?"

Madson shook his head quickly.

Jadson turned back to Link, then swallowed. "Oh…oh, I get it," he said in a shaky voice. "We get it, don't we, Madson?"

"Yeah," his friend replied with a nod. "We get it." He blinked, then licked his lips. "Um…what-what do we get?"

Jadson stared hard at Link. He felt his own nostrils flare. How dare he be threatened like this?

"You're upset because I hurt the girl, aren't you?" he said. "That's it, isn't it? What is she, your lover?"

"Your lover, huh?" said Madson.

Link hadn't moved an inch since he'd entered. His granite expression remained unchanged, but now he slightly cocked his head to one side.

Jadson swallowed. "Listen, don't be like that," he said. "I can see you're a man of the world. You've had your fair share of women, I'm sure." He tried a smile. "We both know they like a firm hand."

"Firm, yeah," said Madson.

 _Easy,_ thought Jadson. _I just have to talk to him right._

He placed a conciliatory palm on Link's shoulder. The boy's head snapped down to look, and Jadson quickly jerked his hand away, as though he'd touched a hot coal.

Jadson's composure crumbled. "Alright," he breathed. "That's how it is, is it?" His whole body trembled. "What do you want from me?"

"Yeah, what do you want?" Madson parroted.

"Oh…oh okay," said Jadson, quietly realisation dawning. "You want me to apologise to her, don't you?"

Link said nothing.

"Fine!" Jadson spat. "I'll apologise!"

Still nothing from Link's deathly presence, other than the fact that he'd begun quietly sucking on the inside of his cheek.

Jadson got the message. " _Okay!"_ His voice teetered on the edge of hysteria now. "I promise. I will not do it again."

Link shifted slightly.

Jadson added a quick caveat. "Not to any woman! Ever!"

He had to get out of here. This was too much.

Jadson strode past Link and headed for the tent flap. Madson began to follow, then stopped for a moment right in front of the boy. He gave Link a withering glare.

"Just be glad," Madson whispered, "that's he's too good of a person to stoop down to _your_ level!"

And with that, they left Link alone in the tent.

* * *

Master Halef stopped in front of the door to the Herald's prison. He'd put this meeting off for a long time now. Not that he didn't still dread it.

Halef frowned. He cocked his head to one side. Was that…was that the Herald's wheezing voice coming from within…?

 _What…?_

Halef opened the door and strode in. His footsteps rang out as he walked. The only other sounds were the creature's wheezing which, in turn, set off its chains in a chorus of metallic tinkling. The Yiga came to a stop in front of the Herald and raised his chin.

"You have failed," the creature said simply.

"Who were you talking to?" Halef countered. He glanced around. Aside from the Herald, the room was empty.

"You do not ask questions of me."

Halef swallowed down the explosion that rose from within. "I ask because I am Master of the Yiga Clan," he seethed. "Me!"

"You did not obey me."

Halef felt a muscle twitch in his face. This was hopeless. "I did what I thought was best."

"You're not meant to think," the Herald retorted. "Merely obey."

"No, I –" Halef stopped. A tingle ran up his right arm – the one covered with Guardian tech. He glanced down at it. He felt a slight tightening there.

"I gave you this," the Herald said softly. "To end the hero. Not imprison him."

"I was thinking of the future," Halef protested, looking back up.

"There's that word again," the Herald cut it. "'Think.'"

Halef glowered in silence. Ideas began to rattle in his head.

"I had the Hylians gathered for the oncoming battle," the ancient voice wheezed. "Only for them to all witness the princess's power. A power that only reawakened because of her heart's longing for her hero. Something that we could have avoided had you killed him as planned - I had surmised that with his death, her power would have weakened and she would never have been able to convince the Hylians."

"They weren't all at that camp," said Halef. He hated the sullenness of his own voice. "Not all the Hylians."

"But they were the ones we were going to use against the other races of Hyrule."

Halef balled his hands into fists. "My point is that we can still use the king's brother to rally the rest of them."

"Indeed," said the Herald. "But now only for a civil war. The plan has changed. Phase Four."

Halef frowned. "Phase Four…?" he said. "There is no Phase Four."

"There is now, thanks to your incompetence." The Herald glared from his thin, wrinkled face. "You need to draw the princess, the hero and as many Hylians as possible to the foot of Death Mountain."

"And then…?"

The Herald took a long, scratchy breath. "I haven't finished," it said. " _First,_ I need you to find something known as the Ancient Bomb Flower. This is what we will use to detonate the mountain once everyone is in place."

 _Detonate? A whole mountain?_ Halef sighed inwardly. He'd reached a new resolve. He had to get rid of the Herald. Insanity was no part of being Yiga; Master Kohga had already shown that.

"And where," said Halef, willing to play along outwardly, at least, "would I find such a thing?"

The Herald shifted slightly in its chains. Metal clinked again, and the single grey cloak enwrapping the creature like a death shroud rippled. "You'll need one of those accursed Gorons to assist you," it replied.

Halef shook his head. "We Yiga don't recruit Gorons."

The Herald replied with a raspy chuckle. "But you do capture them." It raised his voice. "Ragl!"

Halef turned at the sound of the door opening. He frowned when his second-in-command entered. _Ragl's taking orders from the Herald now…?_

This was too much. Halef's resolve strengthened. He was the Master. No chained up _thing_ from the pits of Hyrule's past could undermine him.

Ragl dragged a chained Goron in behind her. Halef wasn't sure, but it seemed the scared-looking creature was in its youth. What he _was_ certain of was the fact that Ragl steadfastly refused to meet his gaze.

"Oh man, oh _man,_ " the Goron muttered.

"You," said the Herald when Ragl brought the Goron to a stop. "What is your name?"

"W-what _is_ this?" the Goron replied. "What are _you_?"

Halef took an instant disliking to the creature. This Goron, despite its size and obvious strength, seemed like the timid sort.

"Answer me," the Herald growled.

"Y-Yunobo," said the Goron, then added quietly, "My name's Yunobo. Goro."

"Excellent, Yunobo," said the Herald. "Come closer, my friend. I have but a small favour to ask of you…"


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

 _Link felt his life slipping away – and he felt strangely glad._

 _A moment earlier they'd been surrounded by scuttling Guardians, the possessed machines glowing angrily in hues of pink and blue as they searched amongst the pockets of rubble and flame under a grey sky heavy with rain. One by one Link had fought them, keeping the princess at a safe distance behind him._

 _His muscles had protested in pain. His wounds had burned. Until finally, all this had conspired with his sheer exhaustion to bring him down to one knee._

 _A Guardian had noticed. It loomed over the two of them, and the princess had begged him to flee. Mud stuck to his tattered tunic as Link drew on the last reserves of his strength to groggily bring himself back to his feet._

 _They were_ _ **not**_ _going to touch_ _ **his**_ _princess._

 _Fiery embers caught on the wind drifted in front of the Guardian's swirling blue eye as it had flashed scarlet – and then it had happened._

 _Zelda's voice had shot out. "No!"_

 _She'd stepped in front of him then, drawing upon some hitherto untapped well of instinct to finally unleash her power._

 _That's why Link felt so glad. Unlike him, she'd proven her worthiness. That, and the fact that he finally saw an end to his pain._

 _The princess rushed over to his side. "Link!" she cried as she cradled his head. "Get up!"_

 _Her gentle touch was a soothing balm after the battles he'd just faced. The young knight coughed, his eyes opening. Smoke drifted through the rain-drenched air._

" _You're going to be just fine…" she said._

 _He knew it wasn't true. But hearing those words in her voice comforted him, nonetheless. He tried to focus in on her face when a sudden realisation came to him. Fahel Ihadah. His life had but one aim – that the princess be pleased with him. That she be happy._

 _The very thought of it blessed a corner of his own heart with a serenity that no misery, no barb from a Royal Blademaster could ever steal away. Link wanted nothing more than to just sink into it._

 _His eyes grew heavy. The princess buried her face into his chest and Link felt her tears seep into the fabric of his tunic._ _His chest rose and fell. He savoured her presence, her touch – but seeing her like this made him ponder something he'd believed unthinkable. Something that could never truly apply to someone as unworthy as him._

 _Nor should it._

 _Darkness encroached in on all sides. 'Does she…' thought Link. 'Does the princess actually care for m-'_

/||\

Raindrops drummed a steady beat out against the thick fabric of the tent. Thunder rolled in the distance. The flap opened. Teba looked up, but didn't turn fully to greet the newcomer.

"So," said Prince Sidon. "You truly are leaving, then…?"

"What's it to you?" the Rito replied. He nudged a lantern on the floor beside his feet to coax it into casting more light. The scent of wet grass rose to his beak.

The Zora prince sighed behind him. "I…" said Sidon. "I fear I may have over-stepped the mark slightly."

"Oh, really?" said Teba. He slung his bow over his pale feathered shoulder, then finally turned around. "What is this – an apology?"

Prince Sidon shrugged. "I suppose, yes."

"Fine," said Teba. He gave a dismissive wave. "Accepted. Now if you'll excuse me –"

"Your Revali," the Zora cut in. "He was of the cocky sort, or so my father tells me. So I thought you'd appreciate being reminded of him."

"You're not Revali, though," Teba replied. "And this isn't really about him, is it…?"

"No," said Prince Sidon. "It's not."

Teba waited as the silence stretched. "I'm listening."

The Zora took a quick breath. "Princess Zelda," he said. "She wants to unite as all. All the races of Hyrule."

Teba caught the thread of what the prince was trying to say. "Let me guess," he replied. "You've not told her that things between the Rito and the Zora haven't exactly been…friendly, right…?"

"She doesn't know of the war, no."

Teba snorted. "War?" he said. "More like a few skirmishes."

"Be that as it may," said Zora. "I shouldn't have allowed my prejudices to slip out earlier. I was beginning to sound like Muzu."

"That's big of you," the Rito warrior replied. "But I don't know what a Muzu is. Sounds painful, regardless."

Sidon grinned. "That he is."

Teba didn't return the smile. "I know you. Well, know _of_ you. You wear this mask of a joker just to keep people's spirits up. Me? I like things more honest. I'd rather I know if someone disliked me up front than hide it with fancy words."

Prince Sidon shook his head. "I…I don't dislike you," he said, then smiled again to give his words more weight. "In fact, I came to try and convince you to stay. We could use someone with your skills. The princess could. Think of it. What a team we'd make!"

He punched the air, which caused Teba to frown slightly.

"My priority is my people," the Rito growled. "The rest of you can do what you want."

A rustle of fabric signified the opening of the tent flap again. The two of them turned to see a glaring Princess Zelda standing there.

The Rito spoke first. "Princess," he said. "Did you hear –"

"Everything," she replied. "I heard everything."

She let her words hang. When she spoke again, it was in a quiet voice that still managed to hold an edge of thunder.

"This is precisely why we'll never move forward," she said. "Not with an attitude like that, Teba. We have to think of ourselves as one, not many."

Prince Sidon moved to speak, but the princess cut him off. "And I'm surprised at you, Sidon," she said, addressing the Zora. "I thought you were too noble for such pettiness."

The Zora bowed his head. "My apologies, princess."

"Listen," said Teba. "It's been a hundred years. When you had your Champions, that was the Golden Age. Things change, princess."

Zelda's expression didn't change, though. "And we can have that Golden Age again," she insisted. "Or something better. Are you truly telling me that the only reason we were united was because of a common foe…?"

Neither of them replied.

"Things are going to change," said the princess. " _You_ are my Champions now – Prince Sidon, Teba, Link, and whoever I deem worthy from the Gorons and the Gerudo." She paused to take a breath. "We need no Calamity for unity. We just need to share the same aim. The aim to be _better._ "

* * *

Princess Zelda stepped out of the tent and into the rain. Her composure left her instantly.

 _What am I doing?_ Her entire body shook. _I just appointed them my new Champions without even letting them have a say in the matter._

They'd accepted it, though, even only if their silence marked their consent.

Zelda couldn't stop the trembling. Why could she stand against the Calamity for a century but feel so overwhelmed here…?

 _I know well why,_ she thought. _I had prepared my entire life for Ganon. I have done nothing to ready myself to be a ruler._

The rain sang against the glass lanterns on the camp. Lightning flashed some way off, illuminating the churning clouds above.

Zelda turned to face her waiting knight. Link had probably heard the whole thing. What did he think, she wondered…?

At least he'd finally returned to her side, but not before the man named Jadson had sought her out to offer a long, desperate apology. Zelda was shrewd enough to know that that had been no coincidence.

Feelings stirred within her once more, whispers that she couldn't put into words, but which drove her to keep her gaze firmly fixed on the Hero of Hyrule. He was looking at her, too, in an odd way,

as though seeing her in a completely new light. A knot throbbed in her heart.

"Link," she said.

"Princess."

The rain darkened his Champions tunic, and he held one hand over the other wrist. He'd averted his gaze now. The steady patter of raindrops provided the only sound for a few long minutes. Her heart prodded her again – it begged her to lay bare what she'd hidden within. But she held it back, too afraid of Impa's warning about damaging him any further.

"May I ask," Zelda said at last, "What exactly did you say to Jadson?"

"Nothing."

"Truly?"

"Truly."

Zelda felt her inner battle intensify. Another silence stretched between them. This time it was the knight who pierced it.

"You should return to your tent, princess," he said. His breath steamed from his lips in a faint, wispy mist. "You'll catch a cold like this."

Zelda cocked her head to one side. "And what will you do...?"

"Stand guard."

She felt her cheek twitch. "Outside...?"

Link gave a single nod.

The growing knot in her heart began to chafe. "So I am to be protected from the elements, but you are not...?"

"I'm not important."

Finally the knot unravelled completely, and something raw and uncontrollable erupted from Zelda's heart and spilled out onto her tongue. "You're important to _me_!"

Link's eyes shot up to meet her gaze now. She returned the stare, her lower lip trembling. A light seemed to dawn on the knight's face. Rain drizzled around the two of them as they stood with eyes locked.

 _How do you feel?_ she'd asked him back in Zora's Domain. And now a part of her begged her to add, _About me…?_

Without even thinking about it, the princess reached into a pouch on her belt and pulled free the tiny stone sword she'd carved when she'd practised her magic.

"I made this for you," she said, and placed it in the palm of his hand.

He said nothing, just turned the trinket over slowly as he gazed down.

"At first," she said. "I thought of a sword because, well, that's what you _do._ But then I think I had another notion in mind. I made it because it takes courage to take up a sword when one's true nature is one of quiet contemplation."

He didn't say anything. He wasn't _going_ to say anything. For some reason, this blistered her heart so much that her patience snapped.

Zelda cupped both her hands around his. The sword lay in his palm and – gently but firmly - she closed his fingers around it.

"I'll be in my tent," she said, then walked off, her boots squelching in the mud.

* * *

Thoughts. Feelings.

They hammered at the wall around Link's heart. Made him feel distinctly uncomfortable. He gazed down at his closed fist for a long moment. He sighed. It was nothing. Just a childish fancy.

The Rito bard – Kass - had claimed that the princess only had eyes for her appointed knight. Link had dismissed it. Poetic exaggeration, clearly. And this? The princess intended nothing more from the gift than what she'd said – a symbol of courage.

Link raised his head – and paused. Both Prince Sidon and the Rito, Teba had emerged from their tent and were staring at him, both wearing a pair of matching, wide grins.

He didn't like the look of that.

In fact, his whole body tensed, much like it did in the moments before a battle.

Link looked from the Zora to the Rito, and then back again. It seemed they _didn't_ need a common enemy to find unity. They just needed _him._

Link raised a questioning eyebrow.

Teba nudged the Zora. "Our boy's not the sharpest blade in the sheath, is he?"

"I wouldn't say that," a smiling Sidon replied. "He has many admirable qualities. Courage. Patience."

"And in the ways of women?"

Sidon's smile became a good-natured grin. "Ah, now that's where he lacks experience."

The traumatic recollection of three Great Fairies snaked into Link's mind. Each had, to varying degrees, seemed far too eager to be inappropriately intimate.

He thought on. Blademaster Aspre and the soldiers of the Royal Guard came next. He remembered how they would describe the wenches and maids they'd encountered, their curves, the sway of their hips.

Being young, Link had looked up to the men, especially as how Aspre had assured him that he'd be far too pretty for any girl.

But later, during his service with the princess, Link had realised that the soldiers, despite their advantage in years, hadn't truly grown up. They only thought of women as their playthings, and not as people in their own right.

Was that the experience the Zora prince meant…?

Sidon seemed to notice the look on his face. "We're just teasing, my young friend."

"Yeah," said Teba. "We _do_ admire your patience. But there's a thin line between _that_ and losing out completely. She's waited a hundred years, but she won't wait forever."

Time seemed to slow. Link felt his heart thud. They were talking about _her._ Talking about the princess.

But that simply couldn't be.

The stone sword felt suddenly heavy in Link's hand. His inner defences wilted. Mocking whispers flooded his heart, accompanied as ever by a deluge of self-doubting misery.

And then came the images. They tumbled through his mind's eye, as they had done for the entire day now.

Link on the edge of death. Zelda cradling his head. The princess weeping.

 _Princess. She's a princess. Now more than ever. I can't even compare._

And that was that.

Right…?

He looked up again to see that the two freshly-minted Champions were no longer smiling.

"Link," said Prince Sidon gently. "Hey there. We didn't mean anything by it…"

The young knight said nothing. Lightning flashed and the rain maintained its relentless downpour. Pain clutched his heart, and not of the physical type. It threatened to drag him down into a dark abyss. Link turned on his heel and strode off, chased by the Zora prince's urgent voice calling his name.

* * *

Zelda sat glum-faced in her private tent with her throne of nothing. Lantern light cast long shadows over the grassy floor. The only guests she currently entertained, though, were the petty thoughts in her head.

 _He didn't even thank me for the gift,_ she seethed silently. _What is it that even makes me bother…?_

She didn't even know why she was angry. All she _did_ know was that something deep within her heart demanded her attention, and she'd made great pains to avoid facing it.

The princess sighed. Anyway, it wasn't thanks she should have sought. She knew well that Link was uncomfortable with expressing any form of sentiment.

 _Is that it, truly?_

Again, her heart swelled. It wouldn't allow her to ignore the secret she'd locked away so securely. Zelda pushed it down, nonetheless.

Link was her knight. She was his princess. There was nothing more than that between them. Maybe there had never been anything more than that – except in her childish hopes.

She tried to push it all away again, but she struggled. The teasing thoughts kept peeking out, whispering to try and draw her mind away.

 _No. Stop this._

She had more pressing matters now. Zelda had planned to give a speech to the camp, one that would allay any fears and would cement their newfound situation. Her eyes fell upon a pile of parchment lying on the grass. The people – _her_ people – had already started sending her notes, though she suspected many just dictated to those in the camp who could write.

 _Which means none of this here will remain secret…_

She'd already read through a handful. Some had asked her arbitration in a dispute. Others had demanded that she reinstate their nightly entertainment, barbaric though it was to her sensibilities. A seamstress had drawn her a picture, detailing a dress that she felt would suit Zelda better than her well-worn tunic. A long flowing white gown enwrapped with a purple bodice, looking at it had made the princess smile.

But still she felt overwhelmed.

 _How do I do this…? How do I tread lightly in all these affairs…?_

Her heart just wasn't in it. Learning of this conflict between the Rito and the Zora had eaten away at her belief that they could all stand united. And, of course, she'd rushed off without first finding out what the exact nature of the dispute even was.

The Rito, the Zora, the Ancient Sheikah, Link, Makata's escape, Uncle Skyr's schemes, the Yiga – her head felt like it would explode with all the worries crowding her mind.

Zelda longed for a simpler time with her books and scrolls, the wonder of knowledge freshly discovered filling her mind, and not thoughts of governance or the feelings of her appointed knight.

Her ears pricked up at a rustle of movement from outside the tent flap. She blinked, staring at the makeshift entrance for a moment, then slowly stood and made her way out.

"Link…?" she whispered.

Her knight knelt there, hood dropped, his face tight with pain. She knew instantly that this was no physical wound - he probably would have found _that_ easier to deal with. No, Link looked very much like he had that night on their trek to Zora's Domain.

And Zelda didn't like that at all.

She kept her eyes fixed on him as she slowly knelt down into the mud. The last remaining drops of rain fluttered on the night air.

"Link," she said again. Her anger with him evaporated. The chains she'd kept around her heart snapped. "Whatever it is…you do not need to battle this alone. I'm here for you."

Link's fist shook. Alarmed, the princess wondered if she'd said entirely the wrong thing.

He opened his hand and the stone sword fell to the floor. The knight spoke in a shaky whisper. "You _shouldn't –"_ He shook his head. " _I_ can't."

"Link, I –"

 _Love you._

But she couldn't say it. Not because she didn't want to, but because she realised that he, for some reason, didn't want to hear it.

Slowly, she inched closer to him and, in halting movements, she enfolded him in her arms.

He didn't resist. Instead, his hand reached up to clutch her sleeve, and that made her just squeeze him ever more tightly.

"What can I _do…?"_ she whispered.

Link shot to his feet so suddenly that the princess tumbled backward. She looked at him in confusion, and then slowly rose herself.

The knight pulled his hood up. "Not right," he breathed then turned away from her, and began to walk.

"You're leaving me?" she said, as the shocked realisation hit home.

Link said nothing. He only kept on walking

"Are you not my appointed knight?" Her heart twisted. That he'd voluntarily do this felt like an icy stab of betrayal. She knew it was wrong, but couldn't stop her anger flare. "Do you not have a duty to me?"

He didn't even turn around.

"Link…" Zelda's voice finally broke with desperation. " _Link!"_

"Let him go, my lady."

Zelda turned to see Prince Sidon approach.

"He won't go far, I wager," the Zora continued. "He wouldn't want you to be out of his reach, you see."

"What's wrong with him?" she asked.

The Zora gazed after Link's receding form. "I believe you've given him a truth," he said in a rare tone of seriousness. "That stands in conflict to some falsehood that has taken root in his heart."

The princess slowly shook her head. "I don't know what you mean," she said. Both her hands balled into fists. "You said I would heal him!"

"Give him time, my lady."

"I'm going aft-"

"Don't."

The princess looked straight into the Zora's golden eyes. Her own filled with tears. "What if he doesn't return…?"

Sidon sighed. "Then he was more broken than we thought," he said. "You going after him will do no good, princess. After all, it is _you_ that is the issue."

Anger scorched Zelda's voice. "Why, what have _I_ done?"

The Zora's voice remained gentle. "I think you well know."

She said nothing.

"Well," said Sidon. "You don't deny it, at least. I knew it! And it appears the silver lining of your parting from him was that it finally opened your eyes. Now we merely have to give our young hero a chance to reach that same truth as well." Seeing her move to speak forced the Zora to add one last thing. "Alone."

Zelda threw him a glare, then turned swiftly and strode back into her tent. Her shoulders began to shake as she held back sobs.

 _Everything I do, I do wrong! I made that gift to comfort him, not hurt him further!_ She wrapped her arms around herself. _What am I doing? I'm turning into the stories that my handmaidens used to listen to – the stories I used to so despise. I can't become some simpering little girl the second Link is out of my sight._

That wasn't healthy, she knew. And yet it all felt too much. Not just this with Link, but _everything._ The princess sank to her knees, and the tears began to flow.

She wept until she'd drained her heart of all its burdens, and when she finally looked up, her blurred eyes caught the sight of something new. Another sheaf of parchment stood on the pile, one that hadn't been there before – this one had been folded in half and set atop like a pyramid.

Frowning, Zelda plucked the paper from the pile and unfolded it. Crimson ink – or at least she _hoped_ it was ink –stared back at her.

Only three words filled the page.

 _HE IS COMING._


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

"Um," said Princess Zelda and instantly felt an inward wince. _Not the best start to a speech..._

She tried again. "People of Hyrule…"

 _No, no, no. It's just Hylians. Not_ _ **all**_ _the people!_

She swallowed as she gazed out at the expectant faces of the gathered crowd. Zelda herself stood on a raised wooden platform they'd hastily constructed for her. The boards creaked under her boots, sunlight filling the cracks and whorls of the wood. Prince Sidon stood guard below, his crimson skin still slick and gleaming from his early morning swim in Akkala Lake. He glanced up, and gave her an encouraging smile.

"My people…" she continued, her voice emboldened. "I understand you wish to know about our nightly festivities." It was a trivial matter, but seemed so very important to the crowd of men and women. And who was she to deny them some lightness…? "So, with effect from this coming night, I have instructed those with the appropriate skills to organise a tourney." She blinked, then quickly corrected herself. "A series of tourneys."

The princess waited on their response. It was a good thing she hadn't expected a roaring chorus of approval. People shifted on their feet, some nodding, some murmuring with restrained disappointment.

"A great idea!" someone cried. "I'll arrange the bets!"

Zelda's gaze found who had spoken - Jadson. Ever since he'd apologised to her, he had not wasted a moment to give her his vocal, and entirely overenthusiastic, support. He was clearly trying too hard.

Another voice, this one edged like a sword, called out. "When are we leaving?"

More murmurs rippled through the crowd.

"Yeah," said a woman. "We've been here long enough. Let's go home. Our new home. The castle, right? Castle Town?"

"I've been eyeing a bit of land in Caste Town myself," said a man, eliciting a few laughs.

"I'm hoping to find some good stuff," the same woman replied. "They'd have left it all, right? The folks who lived there before?"

Unease clutched the princess's heart. Their aspirations were so low!

"Soon," she said. "I urge you to be patient. Please."

 _We'll leave_ , she thought. _As soon as Link returns._ He'd been gone for days now. She'd been sorely tempted to go after him, but Sidon still held her back whenever her resolve to do so had been set.

" _When?_ " someone new shouted. Others joined in.

Prince Sidon drew himself up to his full height. Those Hylians closest to him shrank back.

"The princess said soon," said the Zora. "She will let you know in due course when the time is right."

The shouts grew. Princess Zelda had had enough. She turned and, with head held high, descended the steps back to her tent. The Hylians continued to protest, and each voice sank her heart even deeper. She didn't yet have their full respect despite the display of her powers. Her father would never have been opposed like this.

Zelda didn't feel much safer inside her tent, though. As she entered, her eyes dropped to the parchment laid flat out on the floor and held down by a rock, the one that proclaimed its message in what she now knew was blood.

 _He is coming,_ she mused. _Who…? Uncle Skyr…? The Ancient Sheikah…?_

It had to have been the Yiga who had delivered the message. Who else could have teleported inside without anyone noticing…?

She heard the tent ripple behind her as Prince Sidon followed her in. He'd become her chief advisor now, especially with Link's absence and Teba having left for his village a while ago.

"They do have a point, my lady," the Zora prince said. "The people are getting restless, and your tourney idea will only be a temporary reprieve."

"You know who I'm waiting for," Zelda replied quietly.

"All the more reason why you should consider my proposal," said Sidon. "If we break camp, I'm certain our brave, young Hylian will follow."

 _I'm not, though_. Zelda wanted to be here when Link returned. Her mind was set. She would tell him how she felt.

And she'd accept the consequences.

"Prince Sidon," she said. "You were telling me about the war between the Zora and the Rito…?"

"Truthfully, there's not much to tell," he replied. "A little scamp of a Zora stole a Rito egg and warmed it for breakfast. Apparently, the scoundrel didn't boil it for the requisite time. Chaos ensued."

Zelda allowed only the smallest of smiles to touch her lips. "No jests," she said. "What actually happened?"

"What are most wars about?" he said. "Resources. They grew scarce during the Calamity's reign. We traded in diamonds, but needed luminous stones to make those we couldn't mine ourselves. The Rito had farmed the most; they took stones from Tabantha and the coastline to sell on for a price our elders were not willing to pay. The elders took offence, as they tend to do with most things. And so on, and so forth…"

Princess Zelda sighed. "I don't understand why _you_ would be so affected, though," she said. "It sounds like you didn't, as per usual, agree with your elders."

"You're quite right, my lady," Sidon replied. "I did not. But I lost friends. I blamed both the Zora elders and the Rito warriors." He allowed himself a smile. "They _are_ quite adept at fighting. Perhaps they should be your next option in your quest for unity...?"

Before Zelda could say anything else - she did wonder why he didn't resent the Hylians for his sister when he did with the Rito for his friends - shouts began to ring out, signifying a commotion from beyond the tent. The princess turned, her puzzled gaze locking with Sidon's equally confused golden eyes. They both darted outside.

Hylians rushed past them both. Zelda spotted a familiar face in amongst the blur of faces.

"Bodho," she called. "What is happening?"

"There's a party of riders approaching, princess," the Hylian replied with a flushed face.

Zelda felt a tremor of disquiet.

 _He is coming…_

She strode her way to the mouth of the camp, the mud beneath her boots now flattened and hard. Her eyes caught sight of some of the men at the front of the crowd. They each wore wide grins of the sort that made Zelda feel slightly queasy.

For all their perceived lack of respect, the Hylians did still part to allow her passage. Princess Zelda stopped when she reached the camp's nominal entrance, and gazed out across the sun-kissed Akkala Highlands. It was true. A small phalanx of horses slowly trotted toward them, close enough now that she could easily identify the riders.

"Gerudo," she said.

A leering Hylian man nearby spoke up. "Gorgeous, whatever they are."

Zelda set her mouth in a thin, tight line. _Please don't embarrass me._

The horses stopped. The only one of the warrior women on foot walked on ahead. Her stern visage took in the Hylian crowd.

"Sav'otta. My name is Buliara," she barked. "Which one of you is Princess Zelda?" Her eyes stopped on Bodho. "Is it you?"

"Um..." he replied.

A whisper drifted from one of the riders. "That's a _voe._ You're looking for a _vai._ "

Buliara scowled. "I knew that."

The princess stepped forward. "I am Zelda."

"Ah." The Gerudo woman's stony gaze fell upon the princess. "Then prepare yourself, little one," she said. "For our chief, Lady Riju, has come to have words."

* * *

The Ancient Sheikah. The Herald of Ganon.

Names didn't really matter to the withered creature hanging by chains in the dark room within the Yiga hideout. All that mattered was purpose, the single aim it had dedicated itself to ever since it had been banished by that fool of a Hylian king.

It had secrets. Things that the Yiga Clan had no inkling of. Such as the fact that it could see what they saw through their masks. The Herald was, after all, the Ancient Sheikah, the master of all their tech.

And now it peered through Halef's virtual eyes as he followed the Goron Yunobo at the foot of Death Mountain. The Yiga master took a swig from a grimy bottle. Fireproof Elixir, the Herald guessed. It stifled a chuckle. If it wanted, it could raise the temperature of Halef's mask and burn his face off. So much for an elixir, then…

"How much further?" said Halef. Heat warped the air all around them. "Goron, what are you doing?"

"Look!" said Yunobo as he stumbled on ahead. "Hey, Mr Halef, look! Someone's there!"

The Goron had been easy to manipulate. Timid and eager to please, the Herald had told Yunobo that his capture had been a mere misunderstanding, and that he would have his freedom if he could just aid them in finding the Ancient Bomb Flower.

The disgusting thing was that the Herald suspected that Halef would actually follow through with the promise. After all, the Yiga master had no quarrel with anyone save the Hylians. It was a good thing, too, that the Goron had no idea as to what they planned to do with the flower.

The Herald watched as Halef and Yunobo made their way over to an overhang of red-blushed rock. A man huddled beneath, knees drawn up to the chin. It was a Sheikah, the Herald realised.

"You!" Halef spat. "You there! Who are you? How did you get here?"

The man slowly raised his head. The Ancient Sheikah knew instantly something was wrong with the fellow. For one, he didn't seem too alarmed to be in the presence of a Yiga. And secondly, his eyes – the man's eyes were feverish and abnormally wide.

"I asked you your name," said Halef.

"M-Makata," the Sheikah replied. "I'm a poet…"

"Why are you here?"

Makata's face stretched in a wild smile. "H-He brought me here," the Sheikah said. "He plucked me from the Hylian camp and brought me here."

Halef crouched. "Hylian camp?" he said. "You were there?"

"I was," Makata breathed. "Then – poof! I was gone!"

"Listen, man," said the Yiga. "Can you go back there…? Is there a way you could lure them to this mountain…?"

A high-pitched giggle flew from the Sheikah's lips. "Of course!" he said. "I know what you want. _He_ wants it, too. That's why we were fated to meet."

"Who?" said Halef. "Who are you talking about?"

"You'll see," he replied.

The Herald had watched the exchange, completely transfixed. Its cold heart slowed. This was it. He had not even a sliver of doubt. At long last, what it had long yearned for would be in its grasp.

The Ancient Sheikah chuckled as a slow smile spread over its wizened face.

* * *

 _The rain fell from a sky smeared by grey. Princess Zelda had fallen to her knees, surrounded by a swirling wind that shook the trees all around them. Despair tore through her voice._

 _"So I really am just a failure!"_

 _Link, perched on a log, gazed down at her wordlessly, his calm blue eyes fixed on her face…_

/||\

Link stood on the edge of the cliff, ancient bow in hand, and looked back towards the Akkala Highlands. Smoke from the camp's fires drifted up into a sunlit, blue sky. He hadn't planned to come this far from the others, but he felt heartened that he could see them still.

He turned away to look out at the vast expanse of the Akkala Sea. Golden sunlight rippled on the gentle waves, and the sea breeze tugged at his hood. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the darkened shape of the Ritaag Zumo shrine sitting in the centre of a strange, crooked finger of land that spiralled out from the sandy beach below. He had no business down there, though.

Link set an arrow to the waxy string of the bow, then moved off, one eye aiming, the other scrunched shut.

Monster. There was a monster here. And he would find it. He always did.

Link heard the soothing sigh of the waves crashing against the shore below as he began to move inland. His eye searched for the beast, his bow swinging from left to right. It was probably a Stone Talus. Or a Hinox, maybe.

He hoped it _was_ a Hinox. Feral and large though they were, the typical Hinox lacked intelligence and would prove to be easy prey.

If only Mipha would stop talking to him.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

Link didn't want to reply. It had nothing to do with his usual reticence, and everything to do with this phantom voice being a concrete sign that his mind was finally unravelling. So he kept his silence, listening instead to a swirling breeze that ruffled his Champions tunic.

Mipha remained persistent. "You've turned your back," she said in her gentle voice. "On your duty. I'm surprised."

This, he couldn't resist.

"I'm not worthy of it."

"She loves you," the Zora girl replied. "I think you must have known that already." There was a pause, then she said. "I think I did, too."

Link didn't look up. He wrinkled his nose. The air carried the salty tang of the sea. The laughing whispers of his soul prompted him to speak.

"She shouldn't."

"How could she not?" said Mipha. "You're always there for her. You are her rock. Her shield." Another pause, then the gentle voice resumed. "I'm glad, you know. Truly, I am. I won't presume to promise you both happiness – life is rarely that simple - but I believe you will strengthen each other."

Pain gripped the very core of his soul. Link closed his eyes. "She's wrong," he gasped. "I'm none of those things. And if she does think that of me, then…"

Words failed him as his hollow pain deepened.

/||\

 _"All my friends..." the princess said. "The entire kingdom...my father most of all...I tried, and I failed them all..." Her voice dropped. "I've left them all...to die."_

 _Her own words seemed to be a knife that cut through the dam of her heart. Princess Zelda flung herself into her knight's embrace and wept bitter tears that soaked into the fabric of his already sodden tunic…_

/||\

 _"_ There it is," Link whispered. He heard his own breathing ring loudly in his ears. " _There_ it is."

It _was_ a Hinox. Unusually, this one was fully awake. It roared at the sky and kicked trees so hard that they tore from their earth, spilling entrails of roots and soil.

Link swallowed, and focussed his mind. His fingers flexed around the curve of the bow. The string creaked as he pulled it taut with his other hand.

Mipha, though, hadn't yet had her fill of words.

"What did you mean, Link?" it said. "When you said 'She shouldn't."

Link ignored her. He had the Hinox in his sights now. The bowstring trembled in his hand, then –

"Well?"

Link closed his eyes again. He sighed.

"It's not right," he said. He hoped that would be enough for the ghost.

It wasn't.

"Haven't you seen the way she looks at you?" said Mipha. "I have. Even from the spirit world."

"It's not right," he repeated.

"Why is that an affront to you?" Mipha replied. "You have to accept people as they are. Not to the standard you judge yourself by."

Link hissed. The Hinox had slipped from his sights, the creature stooping to pick up a stray goat. The poor animal kicked in struggle, bleating pathetically before the monster bashed it against the side of a hill. It picked the limp goat up, then smashed it down again.

No thought. No elegance. If he still had a working Sheikah Slate, he fully expected to see the Hinox described by only one word in its Hyrule Compendium: Brute.

The Hinox paused. Slowly it swung its single, jaundiced eye around to where Link stood.

A frown rippled across the knight's face. Was this Hinox…actually smiling?

"Why," the monster growled, "are you so utterly useless?"

Link's eyes widened. He slung his bow and broke into a run.

/||\

 _Link gazed down at the princess as she wept into his lap. His heart tore. This wasn't right. She shouldn't be this sad. Not her. Without even realising he was doing it, Link moved his hand to come and rest upon her head._

 _Her hair felt soft and smooth despite the rain. Link ran his fingers slowly through the golden strands, marvelling at how his swelling heart trembled in response._

 _He felt in a daze now. Some small part of him screamed at him to stop, but he couldn't._

 _His hand stopped on her cheek. The touch of her skin sent a tingle all the way up his arm and thrummed in his heart…_

/||\

Link sat in the branches of a tree and aimed his bow. The scent of sap hung strong here. He shifted to make himself more comfortable. It didn't help much.

The Hinox was just below him now. Link had snuck up close, crouching, avoiding the monster's baleful gaze. It looked from left to right, its eye slowly tracking.

"Are you hiding?" it spat. "Go ahead and hide, then. I knew you couldn't take it. Pathetic. Your father would be _so_ disappointed."

Link pushed down the hurt of those words and allowed himself a small smile. He'd outsmarted it now. No Hinox could think to climb a tree.

"But they can talk?"

Mipha's voice startled him so much that he started violently and set the branches off into a rustling shiver. The Hinox roared and whirled around, its single yellow eye darting here and there until it finally looked up and came to a stop directly on Link.

A meaty hand swung around to swat at the knight. Link's stomach plummeted as he fell – then jerked to a stop in mid-air, his tunic catching on the crooked edge of one of the branches. The earth shook as the Hinox moved in. Link grit his teeth, spinning helplessly. His bow and shield clattered to the ground, followed soon by his folded-up paraglider. His quiver went next, spilling arrows out onto the grass. Finally, the Zora Trident fell with its sheath, spitting sparks as it struck a rock.

Link caught a glimpse of the hulking creature honing in on him, and he began to thrash his arms and legs, hoping that the motion would –

His Champions tunic tore completely. Link fell, bare-chested now, and he hit the ground knee-first. Pain shot up his leg. His hand scrabbled in the dirt until his fingers folded around the cold metal of the trident. He clutched it hard, drew back his arm, then threw. It struck the Hinox straight in its eye.

A blue flash followed; the creature screamed, and the Zora Trident splintered in two.

"And now," said Mipha. "You are free."

Link didn't have time to unravel a phantom's riddle. Stopping only to pick up his bow and a single arrow, the knight hobbled away, still faster than the Hinox despite his fall. He rounded the hill, but his knee gave way, and Link slid inelegantly down to the grass.

/||\

 _Tears exhausted, all the princess had left were sniffs and hiccups. She raised a trembling hand to meet Link's. Their fingers grasped for each other – his rough and callused; hers streaked with mud - and when she looked up to meet his gaze, Link's heart reached a terrifying, dizzying realisation…_

/||\

Link pressed his back against the grassy slope of the hill. He raised the bow and waited, ignoring the prickle scratching his bare back. The Hinox could come any minute now. Link steadied his breathing.

Only one arrow. Only one shot.

"So," said Mipha. "What is it that dwells in your heart?"

"A storm," he replied in a distracted voice. "It never ends."

"Perhaps it's not meant to."

Link focussed on the Zora's voice. "I hate it," he spat. "I never asked for this _burden_."

"Embrace it, then. You see it as you do everything else – a war. And then you push it away, and push _everything_ away until your heart is left a cold husk. _Let_ yourself feel it. Storms pass, Link. When the thunder roars, you don't have to shout back."

"I don't _want_ to feel."

"That serves you well," Mipha said. "When you're in battle. I've seen you do it so many times. You dive headlong into a fight without caring about how much it may hurt." She chuckled softly. "Can you do the same for the rest of life, too?"

"Life _is_ war."

"Perhaps it is," Mipha conceded. "And it's also joy. You brought me joy, Link. You bring the princess joy. I only wish you could feel some yourself, too. That little island within yourself that you retreat to? Sometimes it's okay to leave it. To find a connection."

"Connection?" he said.

"You'd be no less a hero for it," said Mipha. "You wouldn't lose yourself. You'd still have your composure."

"Connection to what?"

"To _whom_ ," Mipha replied. "And I think you know the answer already."

/||\

 _Link's heart reached a terrifying, dizzying realisation…_

 _He loved her._

 _He loved Princess Zelda._

 _His unworthy, pathetic heart actually loved her…_

 _But he couldn't. He mustn't. He pushed the feeling down, down, down, and buried it deep with everything else. He wouldn't even remember it. He'd force himself never to remember it…_

/||\

Link dropped to his knees as it all came back. Every memory, every single one – the good, the bad, the bitter and the sweet - rushed into his head.

"There," said Mipha. "Now you see who it is that held the key to your heart and mind."

Old friends lost, love denied, the pain of barbs that cut sharper than any sword - they thundered into Link's mind so hard that he felt like screaming. His hands curled into trembling fists. Only one word burst out from his lips.

"Worthless!"

The Hinox's smug voice floated over from the other side of the hill. "True," it said. "So very true."

Mipha raised her own voice. "Do you believe every word said about you, Link? Every slander?"

"I had to kill!" he shot back. "To be their weapon!"

"For Hyrule!" growled the Hinox. "Killing for Hyrule is an honour!"

"Forgive," Mipha insisted. "You remember what Paya said? Forgive!"

Link shook his head. "Worthless…"

"Stop it!" cried Mipha. "You don't have to prove yourself! You've fallen into a pit, Link! Drag yourself out! _Please!_ "

Link gripped his bow and sprang back to his feet. "Monster…" he hissed, and he truly didn't know if he was speaking of the Hinox or himself. "Monster!"

When Mipha replied, it was in a soft, quiet voice. "There is no monster."

Link stopped short. His breathing slowed.

He lowered his bow, blinking, then slowly made his way back around the hill. He saw felled trees, torn branches, the broken trident, and a goat lying on its side with an arrow shaft protruding from its side.

He didn't see the Hinox.

Instead, shimmering in the sunlight, more a dream or a desert mirage than anything solid, he saw an image of Aspre, his old blademaster. Young Link had seen him as tall and muscular. But now all he saw was a small man who needed to trample others underfoot to prop up a stunted heart.

And then, at last, the image vanished.

The ancient bow slipped from Link's slack fingers. He stared out at the carnage in a daze; carnage brought about by his own hands. A presence drew up beside him.

"You can't go on like this," Mipha said gently. "Can you?"

The ice melted around his heart. Water flowed. Link's vision blurred. He didn't even notice the slight chill against his bare skin.

It was a long while before Link looked up again.

And there she was, just like he remembered her. Mipha's ever-patient expression in her soft and slender face. A shimmering glow outlined her.

Link's voice felt raw. "How…?" he croaked.

Mipha shrugged. "I believe your sword sought me out," she said. "It opened a brief path back into the world. It – _she_ – seemed to think you needed healing. That you needed some grace." She smiled before she spoke again. "Didn't I promise I would always protect you?"

Link realised he missed that smile.

"Tell me," Mipha went on. "Do you know how long you've been out here in the wild?"

Link swallowed. He knew a trick question when he heard one. "It… _felt_ like the best part of an hour."

Mipha kept her smile in place. "It's been a lot longer than that," she replied. "You had a lot to resolve. And I think much has transpired in your absence."

She began to fade. Link started. "Mipha, don't," he said. "It-it still hurts."

"It will," she said. "Just take care of yourself, Link. Your body and your soul. You need the princess. Like I said, I'm glad." Mipha smiled again. "Now I must, once again, depart. Fi has just one last gift to give."

Link frowned. "Fi?" he said. "Who's that?"

The sound of clanking metal made him glance up. A silver chest had tumbled down the hill, surrounded by a bevy of apples and melons, and came to a rest at his feet.

Link frowned again. "Mipha," he said. "What is thi-"

"Goodbye, my Link."

He spun her way - but she'd already gone. Only the Master Sword stood there, tip in the ground and hilt glinting in the sun.

* * *

Clothes. That's what he'd discovered in the chest after he'd gathered all his things.

Link pulled on a pair of tanned leather gloves that reached all the way to his elbows, then looked down into the chest. Off-white trousers, neatly folded, lay atop a tunic and something decidedly odd.

He picked up the thick tunic after he'd donned the trousers. It was a dark, olive green, with pouches and pockets in all the right places. Link slid it over his head and was surprised to find that it fit perfectly. Next he strapped on his belt and sheath. Lastly, lining the bottom of the chest, there lay the 'odd' thing - a somewhat floppy cap of the same green as the tunic. Removing his Hylian Hood, he ran a hand through his hair, then donned the new hat with a wry, bemused half-smile.

Link stood in his new attire, picked up an apple, rubbed it against the dark green fabric, then took a bite. He reflected – for how long, he couldn't tell, but when he came back to himself he found the horizon burnt with the setting sun.

The pain still lingered. Some wounds _were_ too deep to heal, after all, and there was no magic cure, at least not instantly. This time, though, he didn't tense up as though in readiness for a fight. He felt it, he felt everything, letting it flow through him, and simply did not react. Unless he chose to.

It wouldn't be easy. But he accepted it.

Calm. Balanced.

It was a true calm, not one born from thrusting all his emotions down into a dark, unfeeling pit. If he did keep to silence now, it was out of choice. After all, what was that old adage? Speak only the good or stay silent…?

Link tossed the apple core aside. He pulled the Master Sword out of the ground, spun it between his fingers, then slid it into its place on his back.

His eyes tracked over to the Hylian camp. How long had he been gone, he wondered? Regret tugged at him. He'd abandoned his duty, and now he had to make it up.

 _She has a smile like the sun_ , the Great Deku Tree had told him. _I would do much to feel its warmth again._

"So would I," said Link out loud. In fact, his heart ached for it. He no longer minded the feeling.

He smiled, perhaps for the first time ever. A single word came to him, one that had never before left his lips.

"Zelda."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

"I don't think they respect me," said Zelda. "In fact, I'm certain they speak of me behind my back." She let the words settle with a pause. "And I thought I would be suited to rule. That I _wanted_ to be their princess." She took a short breath. "But all I feel is-is…well, terrible."

Unburdened, the princess sat back. Riju, the small Gerudo chief, listened patiently with a faint smile, her legs curled under her on the grass. Birds warbled in the open air.

They were sat on a patch just outside of the camp, with Buliara and the other Gerudo standing guard. The warrior women had their backs to the two of them for privacy. It was more than enough to keep them from prying – and occasionally lecherous – eyes.

 _Have I revealed too much?_ Zelda wondered. For some reason, she felt she could trust this young Gerudo. Or maybe her comfort came from the fact that she finally had a female ear to pour all her worries into. It _did_ make a welcome change, she had to admit.

"What is it you want from your people?" Riju said in a calm, smooth voice.

"To be better," Zelda replied.

The young Gerudo nodded. "That's good," she said. "Seek improvement, not perfection. People change at their own pace."

Riju smiled, then continued. "I know why you feel sad," she said. "You're afraid that now you have what you want, you'll do something to ruin it. You're afraid you'll fail."

Zelda blinked. "That's it!" she exclaimed. "That's it, exactly!" The princess's warm feelings deepened toward the Gerudo Chief.

 _So young,_ she thought. _And she's already more regal than me._

"Believe me," Riju went on. "I know the feeling."

"You?" Zelda couldn't imagine this small but confident girl holding any such doubts.

"Mmm-hmm," the Gerudo Chief replied. "Though I've been assured my fears are groundless." She curled a blade of grass around her tanned finger in idle amusement. "In fact, the moment I left my captain – Teake – in charge of Gerudo Town to come here, I wondered if I hadn't actually let my people down. I've spent the entire journey here second-guessing myself."

Buliara glanced over her shoulder. "You are too hard on yourself."

"You see?" Riju said with a wink. "I'm not even allowed to _have_ the luxury to doubt myself." She chuckled, then turned slightly to address Buliara. "And _you_ shouldn't be listening in on a private conversation."

The older Gerudo bowed her head. "Yes, my lady," she said. "Apologies."

Zelda smiled, watching as the breeze played with strands of Riju's fiery red hair. "Why…" she said. "Why _did_ you come here in person…? If I may ask."

"News has travelled fast," Riju replied. "The princess has returned, they say. I had to come and see for myself." She stretched with another smile. Her gold bangles clinked with the motion. "I assume Link is here, too…?"

Zelda swallowed. "No, I…" She sighed. "I don't know where he is."

"Oh," said Riju, and Zelda was glad that the Gerudo didn't press any further.

"Thank you," said Zelda, feeling another sudden blossoming of warmth in her heart. "For listening to me."

"We all need each other, princess," said Riju. "In fact…"

Zelda held her breath. She felt the fluttery gallop of hope.

"I'd like to propose an alliance," said Riju. "As equals. "We Gerudo will, I hope you agree, make our own laws."

Zelda's restraint vanished. She sprang forward to envelop the smaller girl in a fierce hug. "Thank you!" she breathed. "Thank you…"

"Whoa there," Riju replied with another chuckle. "I'm not sure what we can actually offer other than moral support."

Zelda released the hug and smiled. "It's a start."

"I hear that another army has been raised in opposition to you…?" Riju asked. "The old king's brother…?"

Zelda nodded. The lines had been drawn. A slow trickle of Hylians had come to join their camp, and had brought with them news of Uncle Skyr's forces amassing on the Great Plateau. Her heart clenched with the thought of war.

 _Let's hope it doesn't come to that,_ Zelda mused. _If only I could speak to my uncle…_

"All the more reason why you need friends, princess," said Riju. "You know, my family passed down stories of your friend Urbosa. I'm told she thought very highly of you. I just _had_ to come to your aid."

The warmth bubbling in Zelda's heart solidified into steely resolve. She'd come to a decision.

"Urbosa was the Gerudo Champion," she said. "I hope you can do me the honour of being my new Champion, too."

Riju's long lashes fluttered. "Well…" she said. "That's a…surprise." She paused for a moment. "I'm not sure I can give you an answer now. But I'll think on it."

The princess bowed her head in acknowledgement.

Riju swept her gaze over the land. "So much grass," she said. "So many trees. Patricia wouldn't like it here, that's for sure."

"Patricia?"

Riju smiled. "My sand seal." She sighed. "I miss her." She looked up, her eyes focussing on something over Zelda's shoulder. "Well, then. There _was_ something else I wanted to discuss." Her voice took on a distracted air. "And now it seems the time is right."

Zelda's brow beetled slightly, then slowly turned to follow the Gerudo chief's gaze – and bolted to her feet. Two riders approached under the afternoon sun. She recognised one as Paya, and the other –

Zelda's heart leapt.

"Impa!"

* * *

There was joy, and questions, and then explanations, but eventually it was time for the talk to turn serious. Impa had news, as did Riju. Apparently, the two had corresponded in the past, the wise mentor over a hundred years old and the young girl of fourteen. It seemed an odd friendship.

Zelda reflected on that – there was still much she didn't know about the threads that had tied Hyrule for the past century, and all that did was rile up her old feelings of inadequacy. She shook it off as they all gathered in Zelda's tent – the princess, Riju, Paya and Impa.

"Are we missing anyone?" asked the Sheikah Elder.

 _Link,_ thought Zelda, but she'd already told Impa of the knight's absence. Strangely, the Sheikah hadn't passed any comment on that at all.

"We're just waiting on Prince Sidon," the princess said out loud.

As if on cue, the Zora yanked the tent flap open, disturbing Paya who was sitting there.

"Forgive my tardiness," he said. "I was just –"

He stopped as his eyes dropped to find the young Sheikah woman. Paya blushed instantly, but seemed unable to draw her gaze away, either. Zelda found that she had to hide a smile.

Impa loudly cleared her throat and Sidon looked up, blinking, as though suddenly aware of where he was.

"Um…" he said.

Impa wore a wry smile of her own. "Sit down," she said gently.

After he did so, the Sheikah Elder looked at each of them in turn, her eyes lingering on Zelda for a moment. "Now. Pardon my absence for these past few weeks. When you get to my age, you tend to sleep a lot." She chuckled. "Allow me to tell you all of the Ancient Sheikah."

Impa sat cross-legged, and shifted on the spot slightly to make herself more comfortable. Zelda felt gladdened to see her old friend hearty and well once again.

"His name is Galduta," Impa explained, "and he was a gifted child of the court – back when we Sheikah had a court – though he felt very much unappreciated. He was an inventor, a master of the discipline that would eventually become our tech. His gifts extended beyond that, though; he had a preternatural ability use his mind to control the tech that his own hands produced."

Prince Sidon moved to speak. "Why, then, would he feel so undervalued?"

"Because, my dear prince," Impa replied, shifting her gaze over to him. "Sometimes there is a vast gulf between perception and reality. More so for one who has been starved of affection and been told incessantly that he had no worth."

A chill fell over Zelda's heart. Impa could have been describing Link with those words.

 _Where are you…?_

Impa's voice brought her back to the now. "When the Calamity approached, ten thousand years ago, Galduta saw his chance to finally prove himself. He presented his plans to the Hylian King who, astounded and overcome with this promise of hope, elevated him to the Hylian court's inner circle. Galduta's fractured ego soared.

"But the king plotted behind Galduta's back. This power - the Guardians and the Divine Beasts - was just as much a threat to the Hylians as it was to Calamity Ganon. Once the hero and the princess of that era succeeded in sealing Ganon, the king ordered the Sheikah banished, and all their tech to be buried.

"Galduta was heartbroken. Rejected by the Hylians who he thought sincerely loved him, and now scorned by his fellow Sheikah, his heart turned to cold ash, and he began to hate. But what he felt, in its intensity, made him fearful, too. He plotted his revenge. First, he founded the Yiga Clan, seducing those of the Sheikah who also felt aggrieved at their mistreatment. He vowed to obey only its leader – for a while, at least. That way, he could keep his cold rage in check until he could the depth of its misery.

"Then, using the powers of his mind, he somehow reached beyond the seal. For millennia, we Sheikah believed it was Calamity Ganon he sought there – and initially, it probably was. That was how the two of them captured the Guardians and placed them under the Calamity's sway."

Zelda, transfixed up until that point, felt a question prick at her. "What do you mean 'initially'?" she said. "Has something changed…?"

The wind began to moan from outside, tugging and creasing the walls of the tent. Impa turned to Riju. The Gerudo chief bowed her head in acknowledgement.

"Something strange is happening in the desert," she said. Metal tinkled from outside as the wind went to work. "Sandstorms, but not like any we've experienced before. My Gerudo have spoken of storms with a pulsing dark light at the core. And – and they've heard voices."

"What-what do they say?" Paya said in a hushed tone.

Zelda glanced her way, and saw the nervous fear shining in her eyes. Prince Sidon seemed to notice, too, and gave the young Sheikah a smile that she shyly reciprocated.

"He is coming," said Riju, her almond shaped eyes darting. "That's what they say." She shook her head slightly. "I…I don't know to what it means."

"And neither do I," said Impa. "But something tells me that Galduta – the Ancient Sheikah – is attempting to summon... some _thing."_

Zelda's mind whirled in a daze. "I…" she said, drawing all eyes towards her. "I have received the same message. It appeared here in my tent. On parchment, and written in blood." She let her words settle. "I don't know where it came from."

"A warning, then," said Impa. "Galduta has perhaps learned something from the Calamity, or saw something from beyond the veil that would help him end it all. He wants, most of all, to be left all alone, a king that would only need his own counsel, and would only thrive on his own approval."

"A true throne of nothing," Zelda breathed. She looked up. "What of Uncle Skyr…?"

Impa met her gaze. "I believe that Galduta wished to use your uncle to establish a proxy kingdom under his own hand."

"To what purpose?" asked Prince Sidon. He glanced at the tent walls as the now howling wind scratched and knifed at the fabric. The wooden posts shivered. "You said he wants to be the last one standing."

"For his own amusement, perhaps?" Impa lay out her palms and shrugged. "Or, free from Hylian influence, he would have the time to summon whatever it is he truly seeks." She sighed. "The only one who can answer your question is Galduta, and he isn't here to speak for himself."

"Well," said the Zora prince. "He can't have his puppet reign now. With the princess and her Hylians here."

Impa nodded. "And that is why it seems that Galduta wants to bring things to a head – by using the king's brother and his army to crush this camp Zelda has here."

The wind's howl grew. One of the ropes snapped and one side of the tent flew up, engulfing them all in ice-cold air that Zelda heard scream in her ears. Shouts followed, and the Gerudo guards outside caught the taut and snapping fabric and brought it back down. The sounds of urgent hammering followed – and then all was still.

Impa turned back to face the rest of them. "I wish to address the Hylians," she said. "Have them assemble after sunset. They deserve to know the truth."

* * *

'After sunset' proved to be a tad optimistic. Bodho had decided that if such a large gathering were to happen, then they needed a tent to match. A marquee, in fact, and it took them until after midnight until it was ready.

Princess Zelda had spent the intervening time strolling through the camp and speaking to her subjects. She wanted to get to know them on a more intimate level, so that any mutual fear they shared could be dispelled.

It had been Riju's idea, and once again Zelda felt glad for her presence. The princess had even managed to find some younger Hylians who were curious about the surrounding wildlife of Akkala, and Zelda had spent more time than she should have excitedly explaining everything she knew about the area. Her mood had lifted as a result.

And now, as the thin sliver of a crescent moon looked down upon the camp, Zelda still walked, even though her eyes were heavy with fatigue and her muscles and bones felt sore.

With most people still awake, there was an air of festivity about the place. The princess walked past crackling cook fires that glowed and sizzled as fat dripped from meat skewers hung above the flames. Some of the huddled Hylians offered her some of the food, but she politely declined with a smile. They accepted it with good cheer – and sometimes even a vocal cheer, chanting to her continuous good health.

Perhaps she'd been wrong about them. Perhaps she _had_ expected perfection.

Laughter and songs floated through the air as her gaze caught on one of the shadows. Prince Sidon stood there, hands clasped behind his back, and he spoke to Paya who would glance up at him in awe and giggle at where – the princess assumed – the Zora had made one of his customary jokes.

Zelda smiled at the scene. _It's barely been a few hours,_ she thought. _And already the two of them are inseparable._

She felt a pang, then, as her mind drifted to thoughts of her knight, and how slowly their own friendship had crawled.

The ringing sound of a ladle being banged against a pot lid made everyone look up. Bodho called the Hylians to attention.

It was time.

* * *

Zelda, after introducing Impa and bidding her people to listen carefully, had decided to sit near the back of the huge tent, with an exit flap close at hand. She desperately tried to keep her head from slumping as she fought off sleep. The princess barely heard what the Sheikah Elder was even saying. The only sounds that came to Zelda's ears was the chirp of crickets and the occasional cough from one of the Hylians crowding around her.

She raised her drowsy head – when the nearby flap rippled and her eyes caught a flash of green. Sleep fled when she realised who it was that stood there.

 _Link._

Her surging heart brought a wide smile to her face. His eyes scanned the crowd for a long moment, and when he found her, Zelda almost did a double take.

Her appointed knight looked so different. He wore a dark green tunic that, she had to admit, made him look quite fetching, though the long, floppy hat atop his head she wasn't too sure about. Still. It was better than having his face in shadow from his Hylian Hood. Now she could see his eyes. And how they now _shone_!

Link made a pointed gesture with those self-same eyes. The message was clear: _Stay._

She didn't know if it was the happiness at seeing him again, or whether his relaxed demeanour set off something playful within her, but Zelda instead arched an eyebrow and, with one corner of her mouth curved upward, she slowly shook her head and wagged her finger.

Link blinked, staring, then relented with a smile. A genuine smile! Zelda's heart almost burst with joy. He stepped to the side to make space for her. The princess smiled back, the silent understanding they shared proving more intimate than a tender touch.

Impa's voice faded into the background. Zelda stood, ignoring the few stares she received, then made her way to the exit. Her heart thudded with an anticipation that tingled at every beat. Now was the time. Now she would tell him. She _had_ to.

The princess found him waiting outside, his back to the tent. Zelda swallowed, her fidgeting hands slick, and the chill night air a welcome relief to the heat of too many people crammed together within the marquee. Her eyes didn't leave him as she approached.

She didn't even know what she was going to say. An apology first, she supposed, for causing him to feel so uncomfortable in the first place, so much so that he had left. The sound of her own heart boomed in her ears.

"Link," she said, her tongue moving too fast. "I-I just want to-

He turned around to cut her off. "I'm sorry I left," he said. "I've been a fool."

Zelda stepped forward, her eyes wide – then gasped as he took her in his arms, and twirled her around. Link leaned in. She knew what was coming, and knew on an instinctual level that it was wrong - she was a princess, after all; and he her protector. If protocol was a person it would, at that precise moment, be standing and gaping in open-mouthed shock. She resisted at first but it didn't last. Her whole being melted. Zelda closed her eyes.

It wasn't how all the poems and songs of the castle minstrels said it would be.

But it was more than enough.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Master Halef shaded his eyes with his hand as he stood high upon one slope of Death Mountain, and stared through the burning embers that choked the air. In the distance he spied a shimmering blur, a dark blot on the horizon.

"It's them," he said out loud to no one in particular. "Skyr and his Hylians." Anticipation tingled within at seeing everything unfold before his eyes. "Now I just need Makata to play his part."

He'd finally resolved on following the Herald's insane plan to the letter – but he himself had one caveat.

But before that was Makata. The leader of the Yiga still wasn't entirely sure about trusting the Sheikah man. It still made no sense to him how the self-proclaimed poet had even survived on the mountain without catching alight, and who it was he kept babbling on about, the one he claimed had freed him from the Hylians. There was something distinctly _odd_ about that Sheikah.

Halef paused from his thoughts to roll his shoulders – his tunic clung to him uncomfortably in the searing heat. He had no idea how Makata planned to entice Zelda and _her_ Hylians to come over to the mountain. It didn't really matter too much. The Yiga Master had his own resources – if the Sheikah failed, he'd just find another way. Everything was so close now that Halef felt a tremor deep in his heart.

The rhythmic sound of steel hitting rock had been the background noise for the last half hour now. Halef turned to see sparks spit as the pick-axe bit at the mountain's tough skin. Young Yunobo grunted with each strike.

"How much longer?" asked Halef.

The Goron paused to wipe his brow with his free hand. "Almost there, Mr Halef." He puffed out his cheeks. "Man, I could do with a drink."

"Just get this done," the Yiga replied. "And you can be on your way. Drink yourself stupid after that."

 _Wouldn't take much,_ Halef thought. _He's bordering on idiocy already._

But it wasn't this Goron – or any other - that truly bothered the Yiga Master. It was the Hylians. Truth be told, there wasn't even that many of them left. The Calamity had wiped out the great majority of them – fitting, given that they had caused the disaster in the first place. Certainly, Halef could leave them alone, and they might actually do something useful and all die out, but he wasn't about to chance that. Moreover, he had plans for the Herald, too.

He smiled under his mask. _Oh yes, I do._

The sound of cracking stone yanked Halef out of his thoughts. He turned to see a fresh opening in the mountainside.

Yunobo pointed. "There it is, Mr Halef!"

The Master of the Yiga pulled a bottle from his belt and took a swig from the Flameproof Elixir swirling within. A panel automatically slid open on his mask to allow the liquid to reach his lips. He then walked over at a slow pace – no point revealing how he really felt to the Goron.

Gripping the top of the new hole with one hand, Halef peered in. "That's it?"

A small, dark sphere sat in a bed of leaves with a thick, knotted string poking out of the top.

"Uh huh," Yunobo replied. "Isn't it cool?"

Halef felt the heat seep in from the rock to his hand, but the elixir went to work to keep any damage at bay.

"How do you use it?" he asked.

"You just have to light the string, step back and - boom!"

Master Halef reached in to gently tug the Ancient Bomb Flower free. "Step back for how long?"

"Oh, um...five minutes, I guess…?"

"Thank you, Yunobo," he murmured. "You can go now."

Halef waited until the Goron's heavy footsteps had completely receded, then tapped at his mask. A small window opened on his inner display, revealing one of his Yiga back at the hideout.

"Surar," he said.

The young Yiga looked up. "Sir…?"

"Inform Ragl that I've ordered her to track Skyr's Hylian army with the others."

Halef felt a pang saying that. He'd been wrong about him having the Clan's complete loyalty. More and more of his Yiga had fallen under Ragl's sway and she, in turn, now seemed far too partial to the Herald. He'd dispatched those particular Yiga with Skyr's army, ostensibly to keep an eye on him under guise of being simple Hylians themselves. Now, with Ragl still in command in his absence, he had to send her away, too.

 _A shame,_ he thought. _I had such high hopes for her._

"Yes, sir," Surar replied.

"Then gather the rest," said Halef. "And bring them to Death Mountain. Along with the Herald."

There was a moment's pause before Surar replied. "Sir…?"

"You heard me."

With a mental command Master Halef cut the connection. He looked down at the Ancient Bomb Flower. Here it was, then. The last ace he had to play. He already had his apologetic speech planned out. He'd tell Ragl and her party that he'd brought the Herald along for inspiration, that a _tragic_ accident took place and the ancient creature was caught in the explosion that killed the Hylians.

Perfect. If Halef had dared made a move against the Herald back at the hideout, he may have had a mutiny on his hands. Now he had a chance to unite them all.

The Hylians would fall.

And the Herald of Ganon with them.

* * *

The Hylian camp became a swirling chaos of movement throughout the week after Link returned. First were the tourneys. They paled in comparison to the ones the young knight had himself witnessed an age ago in the castle. Polite shows of enthusiasm had accompanied the nightly festivities. The second reason for all the activity was the fact that the Hylians were finally moving out, packing away their tents and gathering their meagre possessions.

The princess's plan was clear – take back Hyrule Castle before her uncle turned his attention to it. Ruined though it was, the castle was still a symbol of the royal family.

As midnight approached on the eighth night, lantern light sprinkled across the flattened grass of the Akkala Highlands like stars spilled across the land. Horses snorted and metal clinked. Last minute measures were underway, though not everyone had even begun their preparations.

In the calm centre of all that bustle stood Link, directly in front of one such person, a vendor who shifted from one foot to the other.

"So…" said the knight. "Durians."

The seller gave Link a cool, yet strained look. "They are indeed," he replied. "You planning to buy one or just admire them? I need to pack up as well, y'know."

Link didn't react. In the days since he'd returned, Zelda had told him he had to interact more with people, and so here he was. Stony-faced despite the newfound ease swimming in his heart, he poured over the wares on display on a cloth spread out on the ground.

"I'll take, um, one of the good ones," he said at last

The vendor seemed to be resisting the urge to shake his head. "One of the good ones, huh?" He sighed, then began examining each fruit, pressing his fingers to the skin and bringing it to his face, his nose wrinkling when he inhaled the pungent scent.

Link cocked his head to the side. He picked out a thread of voices in amongst the cacophony of noise, voices that had equally singled him out.

"Look at him," one voice said. "I could take him. No meat on him at all."

Mirth followed from another pair of voices. Link flicked a lazy glance over his shoulder, and caught a glimpse of two burly Hylian men and one muscular woman. He looked away, handed over his rupees and took the durian.

"There you go," said the vendor. "That's a good 'un." He tapped it. "A hearty one."

Link nodded his thanks, then took a winding path back through the fast-diminishing camp. Another quick glance told him that the three large Hylians were following. Link altered nothing in his movements. Instead, his eyes then searched for Zelda. He knew she was off somewhere overseeing matters.

"Hey."

Link cocked his head again at the sound of the voice from behind. He stopped.

"Hey, Green Man!"

Link turned. The trio of Hylians stood there, their faces smug, their hands on the hilts of swords they wore around their waists. He sized them up instantly. Their bravado was a mask. They had a need to feel superior, and this was how they would do it. A fatal flaw that his old blademaster had shared as well.

One of the men stepped forward. "Listen, son," he said. "We've not had a fight night in days. And – between you and me - those tourneys of the princess don't really cut it."

Curious glances turned their way. Link felt nothing except a little itch of impatience. He'd rather be with Zelda.

The woman now spoke. "Yeah," she said, massaging her right fist with her left hand. "And we reckon you were lucky against that Lynel. The princess did have to save you, after all."

"So how about it?" said the third. "You're supposed to a knight, right? All tough, yeah? Take us on, one by one. What do you say?"

Nothing. That's what Link had to say. Silence was still his ever-faithful cloak.

"And just so you know, son," the first man said. "We're more than prepared to apologise to the princess. In advance, even. Since we figured we may just have to leave you dead."

That was Link's opening. "That's probably your best option," he said at last. "If you were planning on winning."

He'd said it with a voice ringing with so much conviction that their jaws all snapped shut in chorus. Link placed the durian on the floor, then rolled it their way with a slight nudge from his boot.

"On me," he said. "I'm told it's a good one."

The fruit wasn't important. He'd just wanted to interact more just like his princess had asked.

After threading his way through the busy crowd of people, Link finally spotted Zelda in her freshly pressed blue Champions tunic as she was deep in conversation with the Gerudo chief, Makeela Riju. The princess looked up and, upon seeing him, her whole face blossomed with a smile.

She practically skipped her way over to him. Zelda seemed so happy and that he, if not truly happy himself, certainly felt content. Her lips brushed his cheek as she reached him, her fingers entwining with his. He squeezed back, then fell into a walk beside her as others watched them, some smiling, some with an amused, knowing light in their eyes.

Perhaps they seemed an odd couple to them – her a ball of energy, him still as restrained as ever. Or perhaps it was that very contrast that made them so suited.

Things had certainly changed. Zelda had told him of the troubles she'd faced in the camp, of how she felt the Hylians viewed her, of Makata and his escape; and Link, in turn, had poured out to her his life training under Aspre. She knew he had his memories back, and she finally knew, too, of his pain.

Paradoxically, now that they were closer than ever, they no longer felt the need to be physically fused at the hip. Not that they didn't _want_ to, though.

Sometimes Zelda would return to her tent, drained and exhausted, and would find him waiting. Link would enwrap her in his arms and just hold her quietly, still her shield against the world. He would nuzzle against her neck, inhaling her scent, and marvelling at how her smallest motion would send his heart soaring.

Another time when his old, inner pain momentarily flared up again, the princess had allowed him time to himself, stopping only to gaze at him and gently caress his cheek or to kiss him gently on the brow. Much like the very fabric of his being, they had both gone beyond words.

Their newfound closeness hadn't gone unnoticed. Impa and a group of stern looking Hylians that Link had never even seen before had sat them down a few days back and, in a talk that he had desperately wanted to flee from, had informed them that if they were set on this course of action, they had to do it properly – only because if an _issue_ should result, then there would be no awkward questions on lineage and the royal succession.

"Wars have been fought over the disputed parentages of royal children," the Shiekah Elder had said. "Do it right. And though I can't promise you everlasting happiness, at least you won't be sorry ever after."

Link and Zelda had made their abashed excuses, promising to discuss it fully later. The stern Hylians were having none of it, though, and Impa had managed to coax the two of them to pledge themselves to the other – in something she termed a formal _conjunction -_ with the entire camp as witness under a moonlit sky. None of _those_ Hylians seemed scandalised at least.

Impa's practical approach would have suited the old Link. But now it had all seemed so sterile. Zelda seemed to silently agree, since she had decided to celebrate in her own way...

They'd returned to her tent that night, Link's brow furrowed at the suddenness of it all. He had turned to face the princess, only to find her standing mere inches in front of him, her eyes holding a strange light, her lips slightly parted.

Link had had to bite down on his old instincts, the finely tuned muscle that kicked in whenever any inappropriateness reared its head. The comfort he felt in her presence washed all that away, anyway – just as it had done when he'd first kissed her. He shifted to one side, but she matched his movement to block him any passage.

"Well…" she had whispered with a small smile as she had gazed up into his face. "Pledged, is it?"

Link had merely shrugged, deciding that the time was probably right to speak about it properly with her in cool, calm deliberation – when Zelda had flung her arms around his neck, kissing him so hard that they had both tumbled back onto the grass, she on top of him, the touch of her fingers tingling as she urgently undid his tunic and –

Well. Link had learned that night that he didn't have to be so restrained _all_ the time.

At the present moment, though, Zelda seemed bursting to speak. Lantern light reflected off of her emerald eyes, and revealed a twinkle of mischief therein.

"Soo…" she said. "Riju was just telling me about how the two of you met."

Link had a sinking sensation he knew where this was going.

"More specifically," said Zelda. "She told me exactly how you were dressed in her presence." Her lips twitched. "What you had to do to gain entrance to Gerudo Town."

Link grimaced. "Not my finest moment."

And that seemed to burst the dam. The princess doubled over in laughter. Link stood there, expressionless and blinking in silence.

Zelda clutched his tunic, looked up at his face with tears in her eyes, then collapsed into another fit of laughter. "I can't breathe!" she gasped.

Link sighed. Sometimes he wondered how _he'd_ been the one to actually give in to the impulse to kiss her.

Zelda finally composed herself, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. She sniffed, then cleared her throat to speak –

When the night breeze suddenly began to pick up. Crimson embers floated up into the air. All eyes slowly turned upward as the moon above burned scarlet.

"The blood moon rises once again…" Zelda said in a hushed, distracted voice.

Low moans began to flit through the air. Link and Zelda both glanced around in puzzlement. Some of the Hylians were swaying on their feet, while others backed away in fear. One threw back his head and howled.

A scream made the princess whirl around. Sudden flames billowed into the air from one corner of the camp. Before Link could even react, she had burst into a sprint, the ice-white glow of her sacred power enveloping her right hand.

Link hissed. "Wait!"

He drew the Master Sword – and stopped with a slight frown. The blade shone with its ethereal glow. But it shouldn't be doing that, not unless in the presence of –

Another scream cut through the air and Link's gaze snapped up. He broke into a run himself. Flames bled into the crimson sky of the blood moon. Clods of hardened earth flew from under the knight's boots as fleeing Hylians rushed past him. He saw fire eating away at one of the tents that hadn't yet been folded away, saw fear-struck parents hurriedly usher their small children away from the danger.

Zelda stood there, framed in scarlet light, and gazing up. Link looked up, too, as he skidded to a halt beside her.

"Makata…" the princess whispered.

Cackling like a demented Wizrobe, the old Sheikah poet hovered in the burnt air above them, his head wreathed in flame, his eyes pools of fire. A ball of molten light formed out of thin air in his one palm, and he hurled it at a laden cart that exploded in a shower of glowing splinters.

Zelda winced, turning away, then looked up at Link. "How…?" she said. "He never had such power before…"

"Zelda!" Link leapt in front of her, Hylian Shield at the ready in his free hand as a fireball headed their way. They felt a brief blast of heat as it hit the steel. Two pairs of eyes - one green, one blue -peeked up over the crest of the shield in perfect unison.

Makata glared down at them, his own fiery eyes fixed on the princess. " _Do you still think he's beautiful?"_ he said. _"Now you see what I've become? Will you still choose him over me when I'm fire, and he's mud?"_

Zelda's voice rang out in reply. "What have you done to yourself, Makata?"

" _I've been blessed!"_ He cackled again, then drew back his arm. " _Yah!"_

Makata's arm shot forward. The earth shook. A Stone Talus tore up from the ground just as a throng of winged flame – Fire Keese, Link realised instantly – burst from the sky. Squeaking in a flutter of leathery wings the keese swooped down toward a group of screaming children.

Link and Zelda exchanged a single glance, then the princess thrust her palm up to shoot a cloak of sparkling protective energy in front of the youngsters. The first row of keese struck the shield and evaporated. The rest banked sharply away.

Link dropped both his shield and sword, and reached back for his bow and an ancient arrow. He set one it to the string, the tip humming with a crystalline blue light. Link jerked the bow up, released, set another to the string, aimed and released.

The ancient arrows shot through the air, taking out ten of the creatures with each strike until a cloud of fire lit up the sky. Smoking and sizzling wings drizzled to the ground in leathery smacks. The slow-moving Talus then stepped through the billowing flame.

Link grit his teeth and set one last ancient arrow to the bow. He danced around the princess as he tracked the huge stone creature's movements, waiting, waiting, until at last his eye caught the sparkle of ore and he released the string. It hit home and, with one last roar, the Talus exploded into smoke.

Link let out a long breath, his heart singing with the satisfaction of a one-hit win.

" _He is coming!"_ Makata spat, drawing all attention back onto him. Fire streamed from his eyes. " _Oh, he is, yes. Death Mountain. To the foot of Death Mountain!"_

A sudden roar of flame detonated in the air, and the blast of heat made every person present shut their eyes tight. And then all went silent – and cold.

Link opened his eyes and slowly lowered his bow. Makata had vanished, leaving only a wisp of black smoke in the air that was already fading fast. A scatter of small fires burned in the immediate area. The Hylian children had already been reclaimed by a rush of their frantic parents. Link looked down to see that the Master Sword had gone dark, too.

The young knight looked over his shoulder. Impa, Riju and Sidon hurried their way. Turning back, he noticed the pensive look on his princess's face.

Link forced moisture back into his dry mouth, then spoke in a quiet voice. "You're not…"

"I have to go," she replied softly. "To _know._ But I will not drag my people along with me."

"I'm going with you."

Zelda swept her gaze around to him. She smiled. "Link," she said. "I wouldn't have had it any other way."


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

The person that had once been Skyr Diaphamus Hyrule, brother to King Rhoam Hyrule, stared out through eyes that were no longer his, his lips moving with someone else's words. His vision jolted and bounced in time to the movement of the spotted mare beneath him. A rag-tag army of the vicious, the mercenary and the downright gullible followed him, armed with Spiked Boko Clubs, Rusty Halberds and – for those who fancied themselves as the new knights of the order – Royal Broadswords.

The air turned hot in their approach to Death Mountain, mirroring the heat of Skyr's anger at being imprisoned in his own body. The going became rough, too, the hardened lava tracts that made up the path far from smooth.

Those walking closest to him looked like any average Hylian traveller to the untrained eye, but Skyr knew better. These were Yiga, their mysterious tech creating an illusion of normality that cloaked the masked former Sheikah beneath. It was the same tech that extended a protective field around the army, protecting them from the heat that radiated from Death Mountain's rivers of glowing lava.

How long, Skyr wondered, would the Yiga keep that protection in place? He knew there was no altruistic intention behind it.

Fireproof lizards scuttled out of their path. They passed a dark, wooden sign that marked their approach as the path to the Southern Mine, then Skyr heard the sound of his own voice give the order to stop and make camp.

"Here is where we make our stand!" his voice rang. Skyr saw one of the Yiga – a young woman named Ragl – move her lips in time to his. These were _her_ words. "We will hold this path, and await the rebel arrival. This is where we end the reign of the imposter princess!"

The Hylian mob roared, and Skyr felt his heart break. True, he'd never been that close to his brother, but he did hold a soft spot for his niece Zelda. He'd even promised to step in and guide her in the ways of diplomacy while she matured. And now the Yiga would force him to kill her with his own hands…? Skyr would rather fling himself into the gaping maw of Death Mountain than do that.

His skin crawled, and he wasn't speaking out of poetic exaggeration. The liquid tech in his veins, hidden now under his tunic, clenched painfully in response to his unspoken thoughts. Skyr Diaphamus Hyrule wept invisible tears.

* * *

Prince Sidon folded his arms. "I do not like this," he said, glancing from Princess Zelda to Link. The knight stood slightly apart, looking into the sunlit distance, one hand clasped over the other wrist as was his usual custom.

"The two of you galloping off to Death Mountain?" the prince went on. "Especially now that we've received news of that scoundrel uncle of yours – pardon my tone, princess – taking his army there, too." He glanced at the others present – Impa, Riju, Paya and Bodho. "Am I the only one who sees this? I mean, Link and the princess are hiding it well, but it's clear they're both wounded given the cries I hear whenever I pass their tent at night."

Zelda's gaped, mortified, and a scarlet tint rose to her cheeks. Paya, delightful creature that she was, flushed red, too, apparently more for the princess's sake than her own. Bodho decided to look at something intently interesting in the sky, young Riju hid a smile behind her hand, and Impa grinned openly.

Only Link seemed unaffected. Expression smooth, he continued to stare out into the distance. Good man. Sidon knew he could always rely on the hero whenever everyone else was losing their collective cool.

Princess Zelda composed herself quickly. Sidon had noticed that ever since her knight had returned she had seemed less plagued by her gnawing self-doubt. Link, in turn, also seemed more comfortable in himself. The prince had even caught him feeding cuccos once.

Zelda raised her chin. "We keep to the plan," she said. "I am leaving Bodho and Impa in charge. With my uncle on his way to Death Mountain, too, this gives us the perfect chance to take Hyrule Castle without a single impediment."

Riju spoke up next. "But the two of you against the other army?" she said. "And whatever else is supposedly up there, too."

Zelda turned to her. "It appears my uncle is aware of what it is," she said. "Why else would he change his path to go to Death Mountain? I feel that this is terribly important. I have to know, and I will not have any of you put in danger because of it."

Sidon almost gaped. "But _you_ will be in danger! I mean, overwhelming odds is Link's bread and butter I'm sure. And perhaps if was you two against, say, fifty, you both would have my full and hearty support, but this is entirely different. We don't even _know_ what it is that is supposedly coming." He turned to Impa. "Are you going to allow this, wise one?"

Impa's slight frame rippled with a slight shrug. "As of late, I feel I have interfered enough in the princess's life," she said. "She is the one to be obeyed."

"It's true," Bodho interjected. "Everyone saw how the princess protected those children from that demon and its monster. They saw the knight destroy the Stone Talus." He stood up straight, back stiff and brought his gaze level to Zelda's face. "We may not agree with your choices, Your Grace, but we will follow your commands to the letter."

The princess smiled. "Thank you," she said. "Please do not worry. I will be safe. My appointed knight has never failed me in that regard." She glanced over at Link, then turned back to look at each person in turn. "Thank you all."

Princess Zelda turned away, walking over to join Link. Prince Sidon watched them, his face pensive. He felt a presence at his side, and turned to see the small Gerudo Chief standing there.

"I agree with you," she said quietly. "And I think I have an idea."

* * *

Galduta the Ancient Sheikah didn't resist when the Yiga Clan came to take him. They released him from his hanging prison and he collapsed to the floor, muscles so unused that they protested in pain at being used for such simple things as walking.

The Yiga had then bound his wrists, and had also made him wear a collar, the chain of which was being kept by the young Yiga, Surar.

The Herald didn't care. His life had been one of continuous betrayal. The Sheikah, the Hylians, and now even the very Yiga that he himself had founded. They all feared what he could do. Only one had given him the attention he deserved; only one had seen his true talents, the one who had been Galduta's single aim ever since he'd found a way to pierce the veil all the way to the Calamity.

The Herald had even heard his voice when in the long days and nights in the Yiga's dank dungeon where his only company had been the wheezing of his own decrepit lungs. And Galduta had replied, his heart singing as they had conversed.

He heard the rattle of his collar chain as Surar yanked on it. The Yiga led him outside. Galduta instantly slammed his eyes shut. The light of the sun was searing, the heat on his pale, wrinkled skin almost unbearable.

But bear it he would. When his senses finally adjusted, Galduta looked around at the chaos the Calamity had wrought, finally seeing it with his very own eyes.

Wetness ran down his cheeks, irritating his cracked skin. "It's beautiful…" he whispered.

The Calamity hated the world as much as he did. But there was still one who could make it all worthwhile. It hurt, but the Ancient Sheikah smiled.

Because now the Yiga were taking him exactly where he wanted to go. They were taking the Ancient Sheikah to _him._ To the only one Galduta was perfectly happy to call a friend.

* * *

 _I wonder if Master Link is in love with Princess Zelda,_ Paya had once written in her diary. _If so, I think they suit each other quite splendidly. Though just the thought of that makes my heart hurt…_

The young Sheikah woman was glad to see that, now that it had become reality, the princess and her knight really did suit each other well – in her eyes, at least. The thought no longer hurt, though. She looked over to where Prince Sidon walked in conversation with Riju as the Hylians made their slow, winding path back towards Hyrule Castle. There wasn't even a trace of jealousy in Paya's heart – she felt a certainty in the handsome Zora's presence that she'd never felt with Link.

True, she did feel shy when speaking to him, but it wasn't the complete shutdown of her mind and tongue that she'd experience with the Hylian knight. She felt comfortable – comfortable enough to _be_ shy, since that's who she was and the gallant Sidon was perfectly fine with it, though he'd constantly try to make her laugh in an attempt to lessen it.

Paya couldn't really put into words better _why_ she felt that way, though. When she'd tried to do so with her grandmother, the elder Sheikah had stopped her with a knowing smile.

"There's knowledge," Impa had said. "That comes from deep within our soul, unpolluted by the workings of our mind. Don't even attempt to translate it with your tongue."

Not that Paya didn't still care about Master Link. He'd already left for Death Mountain with the princess a while ago, and she felt a tight squeeze of her heart at the thought at what they'd find there.

Her gaze drifted over to Death Mountain's general direction. She had heard what the fiery creature had proclaimed, and it had weighed down on her mind ever since, distracting her from the murmur of voices all around her and the metallic tinkling of the laden horses and squeaking carts.

Paya sighed. When would Hyrule's troubles end…?

* * *

Teba swooped through a snow-filled sky the colour of slate. Hebra Province rolled beneath him. He was in a rush to be back home, wanting nothing more than to feel the touch of his wife Saki's soft, violet feathers again and to hug his young son, Tulin.

Snow sank into the white feathers of Teba's outstretched wings. Tulin wanted nothing more than to follow in the footsteps of the great Rito warrior Revali, and this ruffled Teba's feathered brow. Though he wouldn't admit it out loud, he didn't really think too highly of the Rito Champion, at least from the tales he'd heard.

A true warrior needed a sharp and serious mind. Arrogance was merely a lack of mental discipline and the need to show-off incomprehensible. Teba didn't take too kindly to those who lived their entire lives in whimsy and false bravado; and so he felt that, had he met him, he wouldn't have gotten along with Revali at all.

Not that Teba's own heart held no humour, of course. But there was a time and place for it, and from what he knew of Revali, Teba didn't think the Champion knew when and where that was.

Now the Hylian, Link – he was a completely different kettle of fish. Link was the type of fellow that Teba would be proud to befriend. In fact, he hoped Tulin could spend a bit more time with the Hylian. Treacherous though the thought was, he'd rather his son have Link as a role-model than Revali.

Thinking of the Hylian gave Teba pause. He came to a stop in mid-air, floating as the snow swirled all around him. His wings slowly ascended and descended.

On his return to the village, Teba had informed Kaneli, the wizened Chief of the Rito, about all that had transpired, or at least, all that he knew of. The Chief had decided that the Rito tribe would hang back and observe what would transpire. As Teba had been sent on little errands that hardly taxed his skills, more and more news flitted through to the village. Now everyone knew that the two forces of Hylians were set to clash, apparently in the vicinity of Death Mountain.

He thought of Princess Zelda, and how she had lacked faith in her own people. And truth be told, he didn't blame her. Unlike the Rito, the Hylians – bar Link - held nothing of the mettle of a true warrior.

 _She named me her Champion._

Teba thought on this, and thought on how Tulin looked up to Revali. Perhaps the young Rito of the village wouldn't need a Hylian role-model, after all. And maybe they could learn how a _true_ Rito warrior should be.

Teba looked toward the direction of Rito Village, his keen eyesight managing to catch a faint outline even through the snow and distance, and felt a twinge of regret.

 _Forgive me, Saki._

Teba flapped his wings to push him into motion, then curved away, cutting through the falling snow and heading straight for Eldin.

* * *

Master Halef sat high on one slope of Death Mountain and waited. He slowly turned the Ancient Bomb Flower around in his hand. As he did so, his mask scanned it, and a stream of information ran down his inner display.

There honestly didn't seem to be anything special about the thing. It appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary, if antiquated, bomb. Perhaps he would only see its true potential when he detonated it. He'd stay right here and witness it when he did – Halef had already modified his mask to be able to protect him from an explosion, no matter how large.

From his high vantage point the Yiga Master could see that Skyr's Hylians had arrived, their makeshift camp blocking the path to the Southern Mine. Halef wondered if they were going to be close enough to be engulfed in the explosion, then remembered that the plan – bizarre as it was – involved detonating the Bomb Flower right here, taking the entirety of the mountain with it.

Of course, Ragl and the others would have already made their escape by then, using the chaos of battle as their cover.

But for a battle to happen there had to be an opposing force.

 _Where is Princess Zelda?_ Halef wondered. _Where are her Hylians…?_

Had Makata failed? Halef had received no word from Sheikah poet, and began to wonder if he hadn't just simply fled. It galled him no end that he no longer had any way to control the Hylians. The Yiga had planted the Silver Lynel amongst them – back when they'd believed the Hylians would all be united under Skyr – and had planned to use it to remove anyone who wouldn't toe the line, or use it to move shepherd the Hylians to where the Yiga wanted them to go.

And now, of course, the Lynel was gone, destroyed by the princess and her knight.

Halef let out a heated breath. There was no time for regret now. All the threads were coming together, and the final tapestry would herald his final victory.

But, still. Where _was_ Princess Zelda…?

* * *

They stood on a rocky outcropping high above ground and in the shadow of Death Mountain. The top of a huge, wooden horse's head peeked up nearby – Foothill Stable, where Princess Zelda and her knight had boarded their horses. The rest of the way they would make on foot.

Link bowed his head and Zelda draped a corded string around his neck. Her stone sword slid down the length of it until it came to dangle just below the knight's throat.

"Ta daaa!" she exclaimed. "There. I now dub thee Sir Link of Hyrule."

He looked down at the stone pendant with a small smile. "I thought I already was a knight…?"

" _My_ knight, then."

"I thought I was that, too."

She gave him a playful slap on the chest. "Don't spoil it, Link."

He leaned forward to gently kiss her on the forehead, then took her in his arms. Zelda closed her eyes and pressed her cheek to his chest. For all the uncertainty and danger they now faced, she still felt glad it was just the two of them here, away from prying ears and eyes. Link seemed to like it, too, feeling far more comfortable in showing her his affection, his rare moment of impulse when he'd first kissed her now abated.

Feeling strengthened in his presence, she paused to listen to the beating of his heart. In these quiet moments - which were common – Zelda remembered Link's halting, hesitating voice as, over the course of an entire night, he'd told her about how he'd joined the Royal Guard after losing both his parents, about how his tutor Aspre had literally beat into him the idea that he was nothing, small and worthless, about how Link had been deathly afraid to even smile in the Royal Blademaster's presence.

"I was thirteen," he had said. "Aspre had a final initiation for me. A major test of strength, he called it. They dragged this Hylian man before me. Said he was a traitor, that he had planned to assasinate the king, and that if I didn't kill him I would be a traitor, too." He swallowed, his quiet voice unused to so many words. "For Hyrule, they said." Then Link's voice had turned cold and empty and he had refused to meet Zelda's eyes. "He looked terrified. And I did it. I still did it." Link had looked up then. "I proved true everything they had said about me."

Link in his loneliness, confusion and immaturity had believed that all _that_ had been normal.

"Until I met Mipha," he had said. "And then you. I realised then that not all people were like Aspre."

Zelda's heart twisted so tightly that she now looked up to gaze into his face and spoke the words she'd been saying every single time the thought of his haunted memories had come to her.

"Link," she breathed. "You do know I love you, don't you?"

And he responded as he always did: A blink, another small smile and a nod.

She held his gaze. "You _believe_ it, don't you?"

And he nodded again, only saying, "What's important is that you know that I love _you_."

There it was. A faint echo of the unworthiness he felt with her. Zelda knew only time would heal him completely. Time, and her lending him her complete strength.

Satisfied with that thought, Zelda sank back into his chest, closed her eyes again and hugged him even tighter. Link traced a finger down her flank in a way that made her smile with its gentle tickling. His hand slipped under the hem of her Champions tunic and found all those bumps, dimples and marks on her skin that she wished she could hide away.

The first time he'd done that, she had protested. "Please don't remind me of my flaws," she had said.

And Link had replied, "Your flaws make you perfect."

Then he had looked completely stricken, as though not believing himself that those very words had left his lips.

She had laughed at his reaction, which in turn had made him smile, but secretly she had felt deeply touched.

Zelda's hand now moved as well. She found the floppy green cap that he'd stuffed into his belt and pulled it out. Releasing the hug, she reached up to place it atop his head, then after a moment's thought, she adjusted it so that it sat straight.

"There," she said. "We must complete the look. After all, what would your sword say…?"

Link looked like he would smile again – when he froze.

"Zelda…" he said, his eyes dropping. "Look."

The princess followed his gaze all the way down to her hip –

And her breath caught.

The Sheikah Slate.

A small light was blinking on the Sheikah Slate.

She swapped a quick glance with Link. Hope rose in her heart at the same swiftness as she clutched the device up into her hands. Was it possible…? Had all their tech been restored…?

But, no. Aside from the blinking white light in one corner, the screen remained blank and –

Wait. Zelda squinted. She felt a shadow fall over her as Link leaned in, too.

A trio of scarlet words began to form on the Slate's screen, stacked one atop the other. An icyspike of fear drove through Zelda's heart as the letters became clear.

 _I_

 _AM_

 _HERE_


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Moonlight silvered the drifting clouds over Hyrule. Link, along with his princess, looked down on Skyr's Hylian army from their vantage point high up on a tongue of rock jutting out from the peaks that hemmed in the path to the Southern Mine. The tip of this tongue curled upward, giving them excellent cover to hide behind, and the path they'd followed up here was winding but clear.

 _Good place to observe,_ thought Link. _And an easy escape route._

Flameproof Elixir protected them both from the glowing flecks that drifted on the hot air currents here so close to Death Mountain. Link glanced up at the moon again. He'd often done that during his quest to free the princess from Calamity Ganon. Then, he'd felt the utter desolation of a world in ruins, a desolation that mirrored the emptiness of his memory-deprived heart. Now, though, he felt something worse.

A dark presence weighed down the very air, pregnant with a cold mirth that looked down on them all. Link had sensed it from the moment the message had appeared on the Sheikah Slate.

His thoughts snapped back to the moment when he noticed Princess Zelda suddenly stiffen.

"It's him," she breathed. "It _is_ him."

Link followed her gaze. A thin, white-haired Hylian had just stepped out from a tent into a pool of flickering torchlight, accompanied by a small group of Hylians in rough, travel-worn clothing. Link rubbed his chin as he squinted to take a closer look.

"Something's not right," he said.

"Something's not right?" the princess replied, incredulous. "He isn't even supposed to be _alive,_ that's what's not right!"

Her strained tone had no effect on the young knight. The discovery of her uncle's camp combined with the unresolved mystery of the Herald and, finally, the message on the Slate had put the princess under a weighty cloud. Link knew well when someone wanted time alone with their thoughts. Instead, he would remind her of his supporting presence with a touch on her shoulder here, or a squeeze of her hand there.

Now, though, he spoke on in his calm voice. "Look at those people around him."

"What about them?"

"Everyone else in the camp is asleep," he said quietly. "But look at how closely this group are standing." He gestured with his hand. "How alert their postures are."

Zelda shrugged. "They're guarding him," she said. "What is it you want me to see?"

Link nodded. "They're guarding him," he agreed. "But not for his protection."

A moment passed, then Zelda swung her wide, green eyes his way. "He's being held prisoner…?" She blinked. "By whom…?"

"In my travels," Link replied. "I often came across people who weren't what they first seemed." His eyes thinned as he spied one of the guards split off from the rest. "Wait here."

Zelda sprung forward to clutch his sleeve. "Don't," she said. "Can't you feel it? There's something dread in this night." Her lower lip trembled. "I fear for you."

And he hesitated for just a heartbeat, the depth of her concern for him still something that both surprised and overwhelmed him.

Link swallowed. He gently removed her hand, then gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

"Wait here," he repeated.

Before Zelda could again protest – as Link knew she would – he scuttled away, head down, pushing away the nagging doubt that he'd just given her a final kiss goodbye. He hadn't told her that he _had_ sensed exactly the same thing she had. Scree tumbled down from beneath his boots and Link had to balance himself so that his swiftness wouldn't send him falling as well.

As he descended his eyes didn't leave the guard. Link's heart now sang. He was in his element now.

The air shimmered with the heat from the glowing pools of lava that littered the length of the path to the Southern Mine. The guard stopped in a little hollow. It looked very much like he was about to respond to the call of nature.

Link slowed – when the sole of his boot scraped loudly against the ground. The knight fell instantly into a roll just as the guard whirled around, and he then lay flat on his back, heart pounding, every muscle coiled in readiness for an attack.

 _Sloppy._

Link's breathing slowed. The stars above shimmered through the haze of hot air.

Nothing happened.

 _Safe._

Link rocked back onto his shoulders, drawing in his knees, then kipped back up. The guard stood in the hollow below, his back to the knight. Link reached back for his paraglider, unfolded it, and then leapt off the path. The fabric snapped and fluttered, and the touch of the wind tugged at his hat. As he glided in closer, Link drew in both of his legs, and then, once he was upon the man, thrust them both out and into the guard's back.

The man slammed face first into the rocky wall. Link landed – and the guard spun around instantly.

 _Quick recovery. Impressive._

The guard swung in with a fist. Link ducked, feinting one way that made the man jerk away in the other direction, then dived straight into the guard's mid-riff, knocking him back against the wall again. Link heard the guard wheeze in stunned surprise. He readied his fist –

When a flash of steel sliced the air, heading straight for Link's throat.

He froze. Time slowed.

In that last heart-clenching moment, Link's thoughts rang with crystal clarity.

 _Here's how it ends, then_ , he mused. _Undone by a simple sneak attack._

One final thought followed.

 _Zelda…_

Link's wrist shot up on instinct, ramming into the guard's sword hand to skew the attack aside. His fist followed, snaking out to finally crack the man's jaw. A Yiga mask went flying off of the guard's face, and then the man slid down the wall, unconscious.

Link let out a long, slow breath. That had been harder than it should have. Perhaps the oppressive blight in the air had dulled the edge of his skills.

Link slowly stepped over to the discarded mask. He crouched to pick it up, then peered inside to see the incandescent light of the ancient tech within. He frowned. The Hylian knight looked up to where Zelda waited far above. An idea began to slowly tug at his mind.

* * *

Ragl, second-in-command of the Yiga Clan, wrapped her arms around herself. It wasn't the night itself that was chill. Of course not, not _this_ close to fiery Death Mountain.

No. There was...something almost imperceptible, something that set the very core of her bones on edge. This was no ordinary night.

Perhaps it was the news that had filtered through from the other Yiga that had unnerved her. Master Halef had ordered the Herald to be brought here to Death Mountain – it was already en route, accompanied by the rest of the Yiga Clan.

Ragl didn't know what bothered her the most. That Halef had chosen this course of action without consulting her, or that their hideout now stood empty and defenceless. When _she_ became the Master of the Yiga Clan – as the Herald had promised her – she would never leave their home unprotected.

A window popped up on her inner display. Ragl frowned. The snow of static filled the glowing box. Her eyes shifted to the identifier. It was a Yiga named Sul, who had annoyingly left his post to 'attend to other duties' as he had put it.

"What is it?" she barked.

Sul's voice didn't reply.

"Are you the one in charge?"

Ragl froze. "Who is this?"

She held her breath as a long silence stretched. Then the voice replied.

"Link."

Her guts clenched. Her eyes darted around, trying to pinpoint him. Then she cursed herself for being a fool, remembering that her own mask could locate another. A mental command later and a map opened on her display. The Hylian's location pulsed with a yellow dot.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"To talk," Link replied. "Face-to-face." Ragl tensed up. "Bring all your men if you want."

She found it slightly unnerving how he could read her without even being in her presence. And she certainly didn't appreciate the edge of taunting humour she was _sure_ she heard in those last few words.

Ragl turned on her heel, mentally switching to a different frequency within her mask. With a thought, she sent the Hylian prisoner back into his tent. At least Halef had trusted her with _that_ ability.

"I'm coming," she said.

The window funnelled into a small, black dot, then vanished.

Ragl turned to the other disguised Yiga. "It's the _hero,_ " she said, the last word twisting sourly on her tongue. "Everyone with me."

"All of us?" someone said.

"Yes!" she snapped.

Ragl wasn't going to go up there unprepared. She knew all about how the Hylian knight had escaped from their shrine. They moved off, quickly finding a curving path that led upward. She'd been right, then. This was no ordinary night.

The yellow dot on her inner display grew larger as they drew near. Ragl's throat tightened. The path widened out. There was a clearing up ahead that marked Link's position.

"Fan out," she whispered. "Be ready."

A blur rippled over each Yiga, their disguises sloughing off to reveal their true forms within. They then each pulled a sickle from their belt with a metallic _zing_ that rang out in chorus.

Ragl's heart thudded louder as she moved in closer.

 _I'm not afraid,_ she thought. _It's just one boy._

The clearing appeared up ahead. An overhang of grey flint cast it in shadow. The perfect place for a master swordsman to spring an ambush.

Ragl stopped short. She realised, then, that she had no desire to hear what the Hylian had to say.

"Wait," she said, licking her lips. "Sickles away. Duplex bows only."

They sheathed their blades and unslung their bows. The waxy strings creaked in unison. Ragl allowed herself a small smile. They had Link surrounded. He had no escape.

"Shoot."

The arrows whispered into the dark clearing. Sparks erupted as some struck stone. Wood cracked. And then all was silent.

Ragl listened to the sound of her own breathing. "I'll go check."

It was only right. She wanted them to their respect her, after all.

Ragl tugged her sickle free and gripped the handle – already slick with her sweat – then took a step forward. And another. One more took her into the clearing and –

An upturned Yiga mask, inner display blinking, sat alone in the shadows.

Ragl's eyes widened. The world seemed to spin all around her.

"Fool!" she spat. "I'm a fool!"

She whirled around, pushed past her fellow Yiga, ignoring their puzzled shouts, and rushed back down, small rocks tumbling in her wake. Ragl almost twisted her ankle in the process. She jumped over the snoring mounds of filthy Hylians and sprinted over to Skyr's tent.

Ragl paused to pull on her tunic to compose herself, then strode up to the tent flap, gripped it with both hands and yanked it open.

Empty.

Ragl instantly opened up the frequency that controlled the Hylian, knowing exactly what she had to do.

* * *

Princess Zelda had grown accustomed to waiting. One hundred years facing off with Calamity Ganon had that effect. But this was different. Fear curled in her heart in response to something both subtle and smothering that hung heavily all around her. Her hands clenched and unclenched in an unconscious gesture.

She would've followed Link, but he'd moved too fast for her, the knight being more accustomed to a combination of stealth and speed than she. Zelda heard the sudden patter of disturbed stones. She turned, and her shoulders sagged with instant relief as Link appeared, carrying her uncle over his shoulder. She didn't bother to ask how her knight had rescued the Hylian – she just accepted it.

"The guards…?" was all she asked.

"Yiga," said Link. He nudged his head toward a mountain peak standing opposite them. "Chasing shadows."

Curiosity now eclipsed all else as the knight lowered her uncle to the rocky floor of their high vantage spot. Here he was, then. The last living link to her family.

Zelda moved in closer, her eyes searching Skyr's face. She remembered the mole on his right cheek, the deep grooves of his brow. Unless there was some elaborate trickery going on, this was definitely Uncle Skyr.

Beads of sweat ran down his face. His arms twitched and convulsed.

"He's fighting it, I think" she said, heartened. "Whatever _it_ is." Her breath left her lips in a hiss. "Curse my research. Why did I never come across anything _useful?_ "

The princess shuffled in closer and took his hand. "Uncle," she said gently. "It's me. Zelda." She blinked. "Can you hear me?"

"We need information," said Link. "Ask him about the Herald. And the Yiga."

Zelda felt a flash of irritation. "We need him to get _better._ Nothing else."

A silent pause stretched, and then she felt Link's hand touch her shoulder. "You're right," he said. "I didn't think."

Her anger dissipated. Zelda reached up to squeeze Link's hand.

A scratchy voice spoke. "So…sombre…you both are."

Zelda gasped as her uncle's eyes focussed on her. "Don't try to speak," she said, forcing herself to smile. "You're going to be just fine."

Skyr's entire body trembled as he shook his head. "You…have to know," he wheezed. "They…they made me…"

"I _do_ know," said Zelda softly, though in truth, she could only guess had what he'd endured. If the Yiga could control a Silver Lynel with their tech, why not a man? "Hush."

His back arched suddenly, teeth grit in a pain induced grin. Zelda toppled back - and then her uncle slumped to the ground, and the light dimmed in his eyes.

Princess Zelda stared. "No," she breathed, giving Skyr a little shake. "No!"

She sat back. "They used him like a common tool," she said, barely feeling the touch of Link's hand returning to her shoulder. "Then discarded him…"

Was this it, she wondered? The fulfilment of the oppressive dread of this night…?

Just as the thought settled, the droning sound of a host of horns reverberated through the air. Zelda shot to her feet and, with Link, rushed to the curling lip of rock at the end of their vantage spot and peered over.

Panic had stolen over the Hylians. Now fully awake, they rushed this way and that, pulling on their swords, bows and shields in a clamour of clinking steel. She shifted her gaze further up to the mouth of the path.

An army stood there, silent now, eyes barely visible behind the slit of their steel Flamebreaker helms.

A Gerudo army.

Zelda blinked, staring. "But she said she could offer nothing but moral support…" she whispered, glancing up at Link. His expression remained unchanged. "You don't appear to be surprised…?"

Link shrugged. "I don't think she agreed with you coming here," he said in his customary quiet voice. He hadn't spoken for so long that Zelda felt compelled to listen more carefully. "She's balancing the odds."

Zelda's mind worked furiously. "Riju wouldn't have come all the way to see me just with a handful of guards…" she said. "She just didn't tell me."

Zelda felt her admiration for young Riju grow. The Gerudo Chief had kept her hand close to her chest. That was the type of leadership Zelda could learn from.

The air stirred and a sudden, incomprehensible chill descended on the princess's heart. The Gerudo began stamping their feet, shrieking battle cries in chorus. " _La-la-la-la-la-la!"_ But it wasn't _that_ that had disturbed Zelda so.

 _He is here…_

An unspoken signal seemed to ripple through the assembled warrior women below. With a single roar, the Gerudo stamped their boots into a rumble that echoed in the narrow valley. The Hylians screamed, too – some out of battlelust, others out of fear. Like twin rivers rushing into meet the other, the two armies charged.

Zelda heard a ghost of a laugh on the wind. Her skin prickled. Every single torch in the camp below flared up for a single moment, blinding in its fiery brightness, then every flame died instantly and darkness took them all.

It was too late to stop the battle. Zelda stared as sparks blossomed in the sudden gloom, steel striking steel in time with a flurry of cries, screams and shouts. Bubbling pools of lava provided the only light. She focussed her gaze on one, and in those brief moments when the combatants fell into its embrace, Zelda saw faces stretched and frozen with fear, pain and mindless rage.

"Horrible…" she breathed as howls and groans knitted into the fabric of noise. "This is just like when the Guardians turned on us one hundred years ago."

Link took her gently by the arm. "The Gerudo are pushing the Hylians towards Goron City," he said calmly. "We have to let the Gorons know."

Zelda stared at him, at first not comprehending. Then her composure returned, and she glanced back at her uncle's corpse.

"Later," said Link. "I promise."

Zelda felt a surge of love for her knight. With an acknowledging nod the princess moved off, and they both hurried down the winding path.

She glanced over the edge to see nothing more than a dark, writhing river of fighters that slowly inched its way towards Death Mountain. Neither side had that many warriors, but it seemed from clang of metal and the screams of pain that every single Gerudo had ridden up to battle every single Hylian.

A spinning sword suddenly flew out of the black mass, heading straight for her. Zelda gasped – and her palm, instantly sheathed with her ancient power, flung up to blast the blade into metal splinters.

Zelda had no time to reflect. A stray spear flew next, its trajectory aiming straight for –

 _Link!_ A crushing grip overcame her heart. He didn't see what was coming.

"No!"

A huge eruption of icy white light flared from both her hands. The spear vaporised mere inches from Link's head. He jerked back, then skidded to a halt, grit flying from under his heels. Zelda reached him in an instant, grabbing his arm as he looked at her, blinking at the realisation of how close he'd come .

"Keep going!" she cried.

Link nodded, surprising her then by drawing her in close and then leaping off the path. Zelda opened her mouth to scream - when she heard fabric flutter and unfurl above them.

 _Father's paraglider!_

Link, one arm around Zelda, held onto it with his only one hand. The glider responded accordingly.

They banked sharply, almost diving into a spin. Dizzying vertigo gripped Zelda's head. Teeth bared, her temples pounding, the princess reached up to try and grab the other end. Her fingers slipped on the first attempt, but caught on the second.

The glider steadied. They still cut an erratic path through the air, the fabric not being designed to take the weight of two people, and glided over the chaos beneath their dangling feet.

Screams. So many screams.

A sudden notion clutched Zelda's heart with dismay. _Have these Hylians brought their families – their children – like mine have?_

An arrow spat from below, cutting into her thoughts. Link yanked down hard on his end of the fabric. Zelda's stomach plummeted, her eyes bulging as they lurched out of the way. The wind rippled through the entire frame of the glider.

And then finally they touched level ground, landing in a run just ahead of the two armies; the Hylians on the backfoot as the Gerudo pressed their advantage. The two of them kept up the pace, curving around the Southern Mine until Death Mountain properly came into view.

Zelda stumbled, and Link caught her by the wrist and dragged her on. A memory came to her, then, of her knight doing exactly that as they had fled from rampaging Guardians on the day the Calamity had struck one hundred years ago.

The day Link had virtually died.

Zelda didn't appreciate the omen. She pushed the thoughts away, and looked up. The land fell away into a canyon to their left. Up ahead the arched entrance to Goron City came into their line of sight.

A sudden frown swept across her brow. Someone was standing up ahead, just before the entrance. Darkness cloaked him – if it was a him – and he held his ground with an eerie stillness.

"Hey! Hey, Link!"

Scree scattered as the two of them whirled around at the sound of the new voice. A Goron stumbled into their path.

"Man!" he said, casting a fearful glance first towards the two approaching forces, and then to the man Zelda had spotted earlier. "Oh man, am I glad to see you!"

Link blinked. "Yunobo…?"

The Goron youth nodded. "I've got to tell you something! It's important! I -"

They all caught the flicker of movement from the other man. He slowly raised his arms, revealing something spherical in his hands. And when he spoke, his voice split the air like thunder and lightning.

" _STOP!"_

* * *

Link recognised the voice. As both the Gerudo and the Hylians clutched their heads and fell screaming to their knees in a clatter of steel, he knew exactly who it was. He'd heard it enough times during his imprisonment within the Yiga shrine.

Link took a step forward.

"Halef."

The Yiga Master, hands still above his head, moved closer. "So," he said. The breeze began to pick up, sending his crimson tunic into a flutter. "We finally meet in person." He rose on his toes to take a look at way lay beyond the knight. "Oh, don't worry that you're still standing. I've adjusted my mask so that you and the princess wouldn't be affected."

Link glanced behind him. Zelda stood nearby, her face ashen. Yunobo, groaning, lay prostrate as did the entirety of the two armies.

"The Herald was never getting the better of me," Halef snarled. "He gave me this Guardian tech, you see." The Yiga nudged his head toward the shimmering streams of blue light that enwrapped his right arm. "And I tapped into its power to give my mask a few…modifications."

A wheezing voice drifted from the far side of the battlefield. "I knew exactly what you were doing, boy."

Link turned again. A small group of Yiga approached on horseback, their rides gingerly stepping over the fallen soldiers. One person, pale and with wrists bound, stood out. It was this person that spoke again.

"I knew what you were doing," it said. "And I didn't care." A long, wheezing pause followed. "Because I win. Can you not feel it? He's here!"

" _You're_ here," Halef replied. "The princess is here. The hero, too. And enough Hylians to give me a sense of satisfaction."

He gave the sphere he carried a little shake. Link noticed the knotted string that sat atop it. "See this?" cried Halef, his attention fixed on the Herald. "You wanted it, right? Well, open your arms wide, because here it is!"

Link exchanged a glance with Zelda. The barest hint of a nod left her head. Her right hand curled into a fist and, with a quick flick, bloomed with the light of her power. Link reached back to slowly draw the Master Sword.

The Ancient Sheikah – that's who it clearly was, Link realised – spoke once more in a slow, measured tone. "What are you going to do, boy?"

Halef cradled the ball in the crook of one arm, pulled a jagged chunk of flint from his belt with his other hand, and struck the rock against the metal sphere. A spark floated into the air and the Yiga quickly swiped the ball through it. The top of the knotted string caught alight with a fizz.

He turned his regard to Link. "This is the Ancient Bomb Flower," he said. "When the fuse reaches the end, the whole of this mountain, along with every single person standing here, will perish."

"So will you," Link replied, his voice carrying a calmness that he didn't quite feel.

Master Halef shook his head. "Not with this mask on I won't."

Link glanced up at the knotted string. The top half of it had already become black and twisted. He flexed the fingers that gripped the hilt of the Master Sword.

The moon drifted behind a bank of cloud. Lightning began to streak across the sky.

"You fool," the Ancient Sheikah shouted. "I am _your_ master. And the master of the mask that you –" He paused, and the only sound was the sizzle of the fuse.

"No. You. Are. Not," said Halef. He chuckled. "You can't control my tech anymore, can you?" His mask pulsed in time with his breathing. " _I_ win."

Link had heard enough. A quick sprint ate up the ground between him and the Yiga. He swung in with the Master Sword –

And enchanted steel met a crackling wall of transparent, scarlet-tinted energy.

Halef threw back his head and laughed. "No, no, no," he said.

Zelda went next. She lunged in, a stream of ghostly white energy exploding out from both her palms. It struck Halef's invisible shield – his _protection,_ Link thought, seeing how as it resembled Daruk's power - and crackled uselessly, then dissipated into the air.

"Not even you, princess," said Halef. A faint cloak of red light now surrounded him. "I've had a lot of time, you see, up here scurrying about near Death Mountain. A lot of research. And I've thought of _everything_."

Link stared. The wind picked up, carrying specks of rain that managed to survive here in this hot environment. Two thirds of the bomb flower's fuse had been eaten away already. The faint crimson light rippled any time a raindrop fell too close.

Link's mind went blank. He didn't know what to do.

And part of him didn't care that he would die here. Now that he no longer held his emotions at arm's length, Link had come to the conclusion that he really didn't like himself much. It had nothing to do with Aspre, or anyone else.

Outside of a battle, the choices he'd made had been the wrong ones. All he'd done was waste his life in a self-imposed inner exile, and push the princess away. All that time he could have spent with Zelda.

He turned to her now. The princess stared back, her beautiful, emerald eyes glistening with tears. Lightning sheeted the night sky. Zelda's lips moved.

"I've failed," she mouthed.

Link shook his head. It didn't matter that _he_ would die. But _she_ shouldn't. Nor should Yunobo, or anyone else caught up in this madness.

They moved towards each other. Link felt a surge in his heart, a heady mix of love and determination.

If this was to be their last kiss, then it would be their best ever.

But they never got the chance.

The last of the fuse burned away, and the spark touched the Ancient Bomb Flower itself.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

A warm updraft swirled up from the canyon beside the path. Link and Zelda stayed rooted to the spot, staring as Master Halef snapped his masked gaze up to stare at the bomb flower.

"What?" he spat.

The fuse was nothing but ash now, the spark sputtering in a throe of death.

The sudden change in the wind creased lines into Link's green tunic. He heard rock scatter behind him.

 _Yunobo._

"Nnn!" The Goron youth struggled to his feet. "Hey…"

Halef's eyes narrowed. "You…"

"Yeah," said Yunobo, his chest expanding. " _Me._ You wanted the Ancient Bomb Flower." His mouth stretched into a playful grin. "But I led you to a _dud!_ "

Halef snarled. " _You?!"_ cried the Yiga. " _But you're an idiot!"_

"No," said a smiling Princess Zelda in a calm, satisfied voice. "He's a _Champion_."

Link wore no smile. Darkness still pulsed behind the very fabric of time and space, wanting desperately to tear through.

He shook off the thoughts and swung in again with the Master Sword. It cracked against Halef's energy shield. Link thrust – white lightning sparked as the blade met the barrier again.

 _Come on, come on,_ he thought. _There must be a way through._

Halef dropped the useless bomb flower and flipped his sickle up from its sheath and into his hand. He lunged in, and Link spun out of the way.

Link swung the Master Sword up and over his head in a two-handed grip, and brought it crashing down. Again, the steel edge bit against the splash of rippling crimson energy, and Halef laughed from within his protective shell.

The Yiga flipped the sickle into his other hand, then thrust again, catching the knight a slicing blow to his upper right arm.

Link stumbled back, then dropped to one knee.

 _What…?_

It shouldn't have been that easy to peg the knight back. He tried to shake the dullness off, but he couldn't. The dark, invisible presence throttled his mind.

Halef followed in with another slice. The knight jerked his head back at the very last moment – but the sickle still opened a slit just above one eye.

"Link!" cried Zelda.

Halef placed his boot against the knight's chest and shoved him back. Link hit the ground, flipping over and over until he found himself face first in the dirt.

"Well," said the Yiga. "I didn't think it would be _this_ easy." He chuckled. "You're all out of ideas when you can't get a blow in, aren't you?"

Link blinked sticky liquid out of his eye, and ignored the wincing pain as the whistling updraft grew. He saw a sudden shadow ripple over the ground – a _familiar_ shadow.

Link rolled onto his back. Halef, face stretched in hatred, was upon him – and that's when Zelda leapt in with a snarl.

She struck the Yiga's shield just like the Master Sword had, bouncing off, spinning into the air, and landing hard on her back.

Link bared his teeth, every inch of him clenching, and he threw a blazing glare up at Master Halef.

"Oh, what's the matter?" the Yiga said. "Hurt your sweetheart, did I?" He raised the sickle. "Don't worry. She'll be joining you very soon."

The updraft hit fever pitch. A winged figure suddenly shot up out of the canyon, stealing Halef's attention away.

"What…?" he mumbled as he turned. "A Rito…?"

In that moment of Teba's timely distraction, Link saw the shimmer of the Yiga's shield fade for just a heartbeat– and he kipped-up onto his feet to land a punch that sent Halef's mask flying.

The Yiga spun away, straight into the grasp of a swooping Teba. The Rito launched then launched back into the air –

And that's when the reason for the frenzied updraft revealed itself. The majestic form of the dragon Dinraal snaked its way up out of the canyon, molten light spilling out from under its thick, scaly hide. Awe filled Link's heart, as it always did in the presence of Hyrule's dragons, but he pulled his gaze away to track Teba.

Halef kicked and screamed in the Rito's grasp. "Release me!" he screamed, his voice growing smaller as they ascended.

"As you wish," said Teba, his own voice ringing clear.

He let go.

Halef's tumbling scream followed him down, down, down – and then died instantly when Dinraal's fiery horn skewered him. The dragon, oblivious, ribboned its way back into the sky, the fate of mere mortals utterly beneath it.

Link looked away.

 _Zelda._

He burst into a run, sliding onto his knees in a scatter of small rocks as he fell in beside the princess. He gently cradled her in his arms.

The princess's eyes fluttered. "It's fine…" she breathed. "I'm fine."

A scrape of a boot made Link look up. The Ancient Sheikah stood there, surrounded by both the Yiga that had brought him here and the Yiga led by the woman Link had tricked. Behind them, the Gerudo and the Hylians began to stir.

The Herald took a few laboured breaths. "It's time," he wheezed. The Ancient Sheikah's rheumy eyes turned skyward. Flecks of rain floated through the air. "Show yourself!"

"Yes."

The voice rolled through the air, full of dark promise. Some of the Hylians clutched their ears, others whimpered. The Gerudo, on the other hand, looked perplexed. One of the two of the older ones wore alarmed looks of realisation.

Link clutched Zelda to him even tighter. He heard Teba come to land beside them.

"The time is right," the voice continued. "My power has grown. I can finally re-enter the world."

Forked lightning split the sky above. Dark clouds bulged with the unusual prospect of rain over Death Mountain. Thunder ripped through the air. Multiple bolts of lightning flung from the clouds to catch each and every member of the Yiga Clan.

Link winced and Zelda jerked her head away. The Yiga were each caught in crackling, pale green light, mouths twisted in a rictus of soundless pain. And then the light collapsed in on itself, leaving only ash caught up by the wind.

Screams followed in the moment the Yiga perished –this time from the Hylians; each and every one of them catching alight, their protection against the ravages of Death Mountain now gone.

Zelda gripped Link's tunic. "No…"

The Ancient Sheikah looked around in total confusion. "What…?" he said. "But…but you promised me a new body. And the Yiga to command!"

A deep, throaty chuckle roiled through the air. "I promised you a new body, yes," it said. "For _myself._ "

Bright white light engulfed the Ancient Sheikah. His mouth stretched open in a soundless scream of his own. The chains binding his wrists snapped. He threw out his arms, and his skin stretched apart, as though something – or someone – was trying to tear its way out from within him. His arms bulged, his chest grew and the very shape of his head transformed.

Link stared. A huge man, fully armoured, now crouched in front of them with slow tendrils of steam drifting up from his limbs. The Ancient Sheikah had been cast aside like a snake shedding its skin.

This was it. _This_ was the dark presence now fully manifest.

The man spoke in a deep, threatening growl. "Calamity Ganon…" he said. "Was a mere embodiment of rage and hate that took on a life of its own. It wasn't the source." A haughty grin slowly grew wide on his face. "Did you not know that, then, hero…? Or you, princess, with all your research? Didn't I tell you I was coming?" He drew himself up to his full height.

"Allow me to introduce myself, then," he said. "My name is Ganondorf Dragmire."

Lightning flashed and heavens tore open, drenching them all in a sudden downpour. Still clutching to each other, Link and Zelda slowly rose. "I…" said the princess. "I know that name…"

Link did, too. He didn't know _how_ he knew, he just recognised it on some deep, instinctual level.

The other Hylians, the rain now hissing against their burning skin, ran in blind panic and pain like a stampede of animals. Link saw Zelda's eyes fill with concern.

"Bit noisy, no?" said Ganondorf, his gaze fixed on the princess and her knight. "What say we go somewhere a little more…private?"

Light seared across Link's eyes. Death Mountain, Eldin, and Goron City all vanished. When Link's vision returned, he saw lush greenery surrounded by the rhythmic sigh of the jade-tinted sea.

Link recognised the place instantly.

 _Eventide Island._

Specifically the tall hill on its southern side, the one that had once shaded a Hinox. Up and above to his right, Link saw the tip of the Korgu Chiden shrine on the island's only other peak.

He looked down at himself, and was heartened to find that he hadn't been stripped of his clothes. He _did_ feel lighter, though. As Zelda disentangled herself from his grip, Link glanced over his shoulder.

All he had there was his Master Sword, Ancient Bow and a single Ancient Arrow.

Dragmire's unseen voice floated through the air. "Whatever power watches over you," he growled. "Wouldn't permit me to strip you of _everything._ "

Princess Zelda slowly closed her hand into a fist. The light of her power seeped out from between her clenched fingers.

"Show yourself," she demanded. "Who are you?" Her eyes darted as she searched. "What do you want?"

"Ah, princess," Dragmire replied. "Did you like what I did to your Sheikah poet? He burned with love for you, so I made _him_ burn." A deep, throaty chuckle followed. "Fitting, no? It took a lot out of me, though. As did bringing you both here. I'm afraid I'm going to have to be a little more direct here on in."

Link knew a threat when he heard one. He drew the Master Sword from his back. The blade shimmered into life with bright light.

"Calamity Ganon was born from _my_ heart," said the hidden Dragmire. "And guided by _my_ hand. It was but an echo of my true self, doing what I bid until my power grew and I was ready to return myself."

Link fell into an attack stance – a slight crouch, legs coiled with pent-up energy, and his hands gripping his sword. His gaze slowly tracked around.

" _I_ used the Ancient Sheikah," Ganondorf explained. "To turn your machines against you. _I_ was the intellect you detected behind the Calamity's eyes, princess. I watched you for one hundred years, hating you, waiting for this moment where I could face you in person…waiting to do _this!"_

The very earth tore as Ganondorf exploded out of the ground in a cascade of dirt and dead roots. He lunged in with a huge, two-handed sword and drove it straight through Princess Zelda with such violence that she was taken off her feet. The tip of the sword burst out of her back for the briefest of moments before Dragmire yanked his weapon free.

There was no noise. Time slowed to a crawl.

Link heart tore from his very soul with so much force that he thought he would die there and then. His stunned eyes met Zelda's shocked face. She began to fall backwards, her own eyes closing, until she tumbled down the hill and out of sight.

Link stood in numb despair.

Ganondorf Dragmire laughed and laughed. "Just you and me now, boy."

* * *

Fahl Ihadah.

Unto the one.

The single-minded pursuit of one goal.

But what did you do if that goal had been snatched away from you?

Link knew. His recently restored sense of self unravelled, drowning in a deluge of his old feelings of worthlessness and self-doubt. His hands trembled.

Link had managed to scramble away from Ganondorf, skidding and scraping down the side of the hill. Now he hid in a copse of trees, thick palm leaves above shading him, his dark olive tunic allowing him to bleed into the undergrowth. The Master Sword, still aglow, lay flat on a bed of twigs and grass before him. He didn't fight. He couldn't. He'd failed to protect the princess.

Link would've died for her, and now she was the one dead.

His heart alternated between a cold block of lead and a fiery cauldron of intense inner pain.

 _No. No, I'm past all that now._

For a moment his soul came up for air – then the crushing pain overwhelmed him once again. And in the throes of his agony he looked deep into himself.

Ganondorf's voice returned just then. "I always win," he said. The thick palm leaves above shivered, sending warbling birds off into sudden flight. "You seal me away time and time again, and I always come back. And I _win._ "

The chittering song of Eventide's wildlife filled the gap before Dragmire spoke again. "I saw it all in the Sacred Realm. Every possibility. Every branch. There – Hyrule flooded. There - invaded by shadow. And here –" He chuckled. " _Here,_ a desolate wasteland. Don't you see, hero? Each and every one is a _victory._ "

Link wasn't listening. He tried to stop his hands shaking by curling them into fists.

Mipha had said that he approached everything like he was going to war. He'd accepted it, just like how she'd helped him accept all his emotions. But he hadn't truly understood. You only went into battle if there was a threat. Which meant -

Had he _really_ been devoted to the princess? Or had he needed to devote himself to _something_ to stave off the fear that if he didn't, then all those taunts – _useless, worthless –_ would be proven true…?

If he wasn't a chosen knight – noble and pure at heart – then what _was_ he, truly? The thought twisted his soul in a fresh intensity of inner pain.

" _There_ you are!"

Link snapped his eyes up at the voice. Ganondorf, grinning, thundered into the small forest, his boots splashing in the thin puddles. The knight scooped up the Master Sword and sprang to his feet.

Dragmire reached him in seconds. He thrust with his longsword.

And then Link's warrior instinct took over.

He launched himself into a backflip that brought time to a crawl. Ganondorf's blurred form shot past him, and Link slashed, cut and thrust in a flurry of strikes.

A swirl of fallen leaves took to the air as Link landed. Dragmire whirled around, standing unharmed but for a faint trail of thin, dark smoke that marked every point where the Master Sword had hit home.

He stared at Link and grinned.

That ignited a spark in the knight's heart. Pain stoked the rage in his heart – rage at Zelda's murder, rage at being forced to question his very identity. It drove him on into a run. Link jumped, sword arm drawing back, and then slashed at the monster.

Ganondorf skewed the attack aside with a deft parry that sent the young knight spinning away. Landing on his feet, his boots skidding backward through the dirt from the momentum, Link readied himself, then dived in again.

Dragmire threw his wrists up into an X to trap Link's lunging sword-arm. Pain shot straight up into Link's shoulder. He grit his teeth, his breathing laboured as drops of sweat flew from his face. Ganondorf chuckled and increased the pressure on his arm.

And then, ignoring the wrenching pain, Link flipped all the way around. His knee grazed the side of Ganondorf's head and the monster released him instantly, more out of surprise than pain.

Link stumbled backward, his sword-arm hanging limply. The pain almost made him bite down hard on his tongue.

Dragmire roared with rage. He dropped his sword, took two huge lunging steps, then grabbed Link with both his meaty hands. He picked the knight up and hurled him over his head.

Link hit the ground – and the ground gave way. Clumps of crumbling dirt fell with him into an earthy hole lined with twisted roots and wriggling worms, He landed with a splash in a small pool of stagnant water at the bottom.

His sword-arm was a writhing mass of pure pain, his heart a shattered mess. The sky above began to swim in his line of sight.

"Where are you?!" Ganondorf roared from above. "Where did you _go?!"_

* * *

Princess Zelda took short, shallow breaths as she stared up at a clear, blue sky. Her tunic felt thick with fluid, but she had no desire to look down at the damage. Why would she, when she could clearly _feel_ it with every passing second? The pain tore tears from her eyes, and they ran down the sides of her face.

She'd failed a century before when she'd been overcome with self-doubt.

She'd failed when she'd been too wrapped into herself to see what Link had meant to her.

But now, even with this excruciating pain, she only had one thought.

 _I will not fail,_ she vowed to herself. _I will not fail this time._

Her soul seemed to flit in and out of the world. She thought she sensed things beyond. Other people, other places, all achingly familiar, yet utterly incomprehensible, too. An idea seemed to reach her from there. One last, incredible, insane idea.

Zelda summoned her power. A ball of white light appeared above her. She focussed on it. She _had_ to, just so she wouldn't think about her gaping wound, about how every moment stole away at her life.

This power she had, this inheritance from her dear mother that sprung from a single source beyond time and space – the source of _everything –_ this power Zelda would give to Link with her final few breaths.

She wouldn't fail.

And neither would Link.

Zelda gasped. A spasm of pain ran through her. Her eyes widened as the ball of light began to fade.

"No…" she murmured.

Darkness then bled into every corner of her sight.

* * *

Link climbed out of the hole, his sword-arm screaming in protest as he did so. He slumped onto the grass, the Eventide breeze tickling his slickened skin. Trembling, he raised his head.

He saw the sun-draped hill where they'd first arrived, saw Ganondorf pacing at its peak.

"Come on!" Dragmire screamed with shaking fists. "I'm done playing! Come fight me so I can finish it!"

 _Why?_ _Why bother?_

Link shuddered under a barrage of pain both within and without. If only it _would_ all end. If only he were buried under all this dirt. If only –

 _No._

He grit his teeth.

 _What am I doing?_

He'd made a choice to overcome this. Mipha had helped him overcome this.

 _This pain, it was always going to ebb and flow._

Was he going to crumble at the first challenge life threw at him?

Link slowly rose to his feet. Grief burned in his heart. If fear had been his true motivation all this time, then there could be only one cure for that.

 _Courage._

If he hadn't been truly devoted to Zelda before, then he could begin right now.

 _If not today, then when…?_

Alive or dead, Princess Zelda was his Fahl Ihadah, and _he_ was her chosen knight. She wouldn't want this Ganondorf to win.

Link didn't need to die for Zelda.

 _I need to live for her._

* * *

Zelda awoke with a start. She could feel it now. The last drops of her life were trickling away.

She tried to summon her power, but the pain overwhelmed her and nothing more than faint flickers of light blossomed and died in the air above.

"Please…" she whispered. " _Please_."

Zelda began sinking. The darkness welcomed her to its eternal embrace -

And that's when a familiar voice, gentle and quiet, spoke softly in her ear.

"Mipha's Grace is ready."

Zelda's eyes widened. She saw the Zora's emerald spirit rose into the air. Mipha smiled. "It was my pleasure."

Zelda felt her wounds knit tight, felt strength course through her body. She rose into the air, ringed by the light of her resurgent power.

She then poured it all - her power drawn from a source divine, her soul, her _love_ \- straight into Link's own heart until –

Link gasped. His eyes blazed completely white with Zelda's power. Her voice echoed in his mind.

 _Link. My knight. I love you._

 _Fahl Ihadah._ Unto the one became _only_ the one. Princess and knight vanished into each other for a moment in an ocean of intense bliss that washed away all trace of pain and doubt. Sorrow fled, hearts healed and bodies became whole.

When Link returned to himself a heartbeat later, he found his green tunic transformed. The sleeves of the upper half now a faded grey, and the lower inky black. A dark chest plate enwrapped him, engraved with a crescent moon and a pyramid. He felt marks on his face, and bringing the Master Sword up, he saw his own reflection in the steel – glowing white eyes contained by a blue symbol above and streaks of red beneath. Silver hair flowed out from his grey-white hat.

Link sheathed the sword. Single-minded determination burned in his mind. He broke into a sprint, dashing up the hill and, with the last ounce of his stamina, he leapt into the air.

Time contracted. The world blurred. Link, now high above the hill's peak, his face drained of all emotion, drew his ancient bow with one hand, and spun the single ancient arrow between his fingers with the other, then set it to the string.

Ganondorf hadn't yet seen him. "You haven't said a single word since we've met!" he replied. "Don't you have _anything_ to say?!"

"Yes," Link replied, his voice fierce. "You talk too much."

Ganondorf whirled around.

The arrow spun away from the string in a spiralling double-helix of light. It drove straight into Ganondorf Dragmire's face. A gaping wound opened, spilling bright light. He stumbled back; one step, two.

And then the monster screamed; he began to collapse in on himself, diminishing, shrinking, until finally he vanished completely. The echo of his last defiant roar hung on the air, then faded away.

Link landed atop the hill with a grunt. He blinked, drew the Master Sword and brought it up to his face once more. The reflection he saw there was again his own – blue eyes, blond hair, and olive green attire.

His heart shone. He and Zelda had been lost in each other; for those last few exhilarating moments, he had known her every thought, fear and feeling, and she in turn had experienced his being, experienced him riding the air as he'd drawn his bow. She had known him -

And now Link knew her fate, too.

Quickly returning the sword to its place, Link scrambled down the side of the hill, setting clods of dirt flying free and spilling rocks from under his heels. The shadow of clouds drifted over the island. He slowed, eyes wide, at what he saw at the bottom.

Princess Zelda stood alone, her Champions tunic torn at the front and back, but the bare skin beneath unblemished.

Link stopped, staring. Their eyes met. Zelda raised her chin and looked down at him with a regal expression.

"Nothing to say?" she said.

Link shrugged, a half-smile hanging from his lips. "Not really."

Princess Zelda held his gaze a moment longer, then her face collapsed into a grin. She ran straight into his waiting arms.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

Hyrule Coliseum expected visitors. This was clear from the blood-red strobe lights - stolen from the remains of former Air Guardians – that now dotted the walls of the newly reconstructed building.

Zelda, Queen of the Hylian Province, and her knight Link crouched in the darkness opposite the huge structure. Face bathed in its iridescent light, the young queen tapped away at her Sheikah Slate – now fully active again after the Ancient Sheikah's demise some eighteen months prior – and looked up. The path ahead was dark and quiet. Only the silent strobe lights made any motion, cutting scarlet trails across the rough, sandy ground. Zelda's silent knight watched, rubbing his chin.

"We're going to be late," she said. "For the wedding." She looked back down at the Slate and began swiping away on the screen. Scrolls and parchments she'd procured over the past few months flitted past. She'd marked the relevant passages in bright ink. Ganondorf Dragmire. Sacred Realm. Triforce. The image of this last one gave her pause. She'd seen it before, in the moments prior to her sealing the Calamity. She pursed her lips. _So much left to learn_. "I just thought you should know."

Zelda heard Link's heel grind against the hard ground as he turned to her. The night air felt chill against her skin. Still she didn't look up.

"The Slate," he said. "You're always on the Slate."

"I'll have you know," Zelda replied, eyes fixed on the screen. "That I am doing research. _And_ , as the queen, no one can tell me not to."

The irony wasn't lost on her. She'd so long wanted to shirk her duties just so she could devote herself to her beloved studies. But now that she _was_ the queen, all and sundry left her alone, free to indulge her intellectual pursuits at leisure.

"I'm telling you not to," said Link.

"I told you," she insisted, a playful smile in her voice. "No one commands me."

"I'm exempt."

Zelda raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?"

Link replied by leaning in and kissing her on the lips. Zelda closed her eyes and let the tingle of the kiss thrum down into her heart. Her hand went slack, and the Sheikah Slate slipped slightly in her grip. She pushed back with her mouth.

When they parted, Link smiled. "Really," he said. "Put the Slate away. It's time to move."

Zelda hummed a long-suffering sigh. "Yes, sir." She latched the Slate onto her hip, then smiled back and gestured with her hand. "Lead the way."

They set off. A moonless night cloaked them. Fifty yards separated them from the Coliseum gate. Forty. Thirty-five.

Link stopped. Zelda froze. The hum of a strobe light permeated the air. Too loud. Ergo, too close.

Zelda looked down. A ripple of crimson light kissed the tips of their boots, paused there for a pulsing heartbeat, then moved off. A long-held breath flew free from her lips.

They then took a jagged path in an attempt to avoid the spill of roving light the colour of blood. Zelda winced at that. Thinking of blood turned her mind back. She remembered Ganondorf's cold, cold blade as it had torn through her. Mipha had saved her – though she still wasn't quite sure how – but that hadn't stopped the nightmares from persisting.

The Coliseum loomed like a huge, stone sentinel. Dark shadows marked the gaps between the pillars. Zelda followed as Link danced around another pool of scarlet light. Black boots, black trousers and tunics of deep, midnight blue - they were both clad in the new Champions gear Zelda had had made.

A final sprint and they reached the gate. Iron bars, twenty feet in height, and buzzing with something that told Zelda exactly what it was that protected it.

She reached for the Sheikah Slate. "Allow me."

Purah had made some modifications to the tech. Now was the perfect time to test them. Zelda tapped away, then looked up. Nothing. She chewed on her lower lip and tapped away again. Still nothing.

"We're going to be late," said Link. "For the wedding." A pause, then, "I just thought you should know."

A slight frown rippled Zelda's features as she tapped the Slate again. "I think," she mumbled. "I liked you better when you had little to say."

The corner of her eye caught the creeping approach of pale red light from behind them. Her heart sped. Zelda's fingers worked furiously across the screen of the Sheikah Slate and –

A metallic _clunk_ echoed through the night. The strobe lights all shut off in perfect unison. And then steel hinges squealed as the gate slowly swung open.

Zelda released yet another long breath. She felt Link's eyes on her. She waited. His posture didn't change.

"What?" she asked.

"I love you."

Her heart soared, and the words brought a faint smile instantly to her lips. "Well," she replied softly. "Quite right."

They took a step into the Coliseum. Starlight cast a faint glow onto the circular arena floor.

Zelda blinked. "Hello…?"

More huge lights, icy white, blazed into life. Zelda flinched. When her eyesight adjusted, she saw a mass of waiting people representing all the races of Hyrule.

One of them turned around. Tall, smiling, unmistakable.

"Ah ha!" said Prince Sidon. He held a glass of some sparkling, amber liquid in one hand. "I told you! What did I tell you?" He grinned as the people around him nodded. "The last to get here, but I knew it. I just knew they could do it!"

A cheer exploded from the rest. People began to stream toward them. Zelda recognised some of the faces – Impa, Bodho, Yunobo, Riju, Teba.

Zelda smiled. Link looked grim. The Queen of the Hylians leaned in.

"I believe at this point," she whispered. "You're supposed to smile."

Link's expression changed to a half-grimace.

Zelda sighed. "It'll do."

Prince Sidon raised his voice again. "Now why don't the two of you get changed?" he cried. "As will I. Then we can let this wedding commence!"

* * *

The upper tier of the Coliseum had been transformed into guestrooms. Wooden walls decorated with deep green ivy hemmed in Zelda and her knight. The Hylian Queen heard the murmur of voices from outside, merriment mixed with the clink of glasses.

They found their attire waiting in the cramped room. A full-length mirror, dresser and a small bed filled the rest of the space. Zelda held up a simple, yet elegant white gown up to herself as she looked into the mirror. A crackling torch cast the room in welcome light.

Zelda wished her mother was here with her. She didn't often think of her parents. Not that she didn't love them, of course. Thinking of them reminded her how much she _did_ love them. A single regret burned in her heart.

Zelda dearly wished she could have had her time with her father once again. Just to have gotten it right. Not the manifestation of her power, or to show some aptitude for the burdens of ruling, but just so that she could have spent less time fighting him and more knowing and loving him.

Zelda set the dress aside, picked up a rubber bulb on the table beside, brought it to her neck and squeezed. A faint mist that carried the scent of flowers hissed into the air. She saw Link in the mirror, lying on the bed with his arms behind his head.

"Are you going to get ready?" she said. He didn't move. "You should get ready."

The knight then sat up. Zelda turned. He held out his hands.

"Now is _not_ the opportune time," she said. "I'm sure they have a tight schedule to keep to."

Link beckoned with his fingers. With a sigh, Zelda walked over to him to take his hands.

And with a quick tug, he pulled her down onto the bed, twisting as she fell so that she ended up flat on her back. He held her down – gently, but firmly - by her wrists and then straddled her.

"Link!" she gasped in a voice that showed that she didn't mind at all. "They're waiting for us!"

"Let them." He lowered himself slowly to kiss her – long, lingering and tender. Drawing up one knee, Zelda wiggled to get more comfortable, then closed her eyes and sank into bliss.

* * *

Zelda, now in her white gown, fixed her hair for the last time, then opened the door. "Don't take too long," she called behind her as she slipped out. She raised her chin in as regal a manner as she could, then moved back down to the arena floor where songs were being sung as a Rito swayed to and fro with his accordion.

Zelda helped that no one would notice what she felt – that her face wouldn't betray the sweet soreness of her body.

"Weeeeelll," said a voice that brought her to a sudden stop. "You sure took your sweet time."

Hot blood rushed to Zelda's cheeks. Even after all this time, even after how intimately attuned she was to her knight and how all and sundry knew they were pledged, she still felt herself blush whenever anyone noticed their closeness.

"Hello, Purah," Zelda replied. Her eyes desperately searched for anything other than the gaze of the youthful looking old Sheikah. "It's nice to see you again, too."

"And where is Linkie?" Purah asked, the unmistakeable edge of mischief in her voice. "Sleeping…?"

Zelda nodded. A little _too_ vigorously for comfort. "Long journey."

Purah held a knowing twinkle in her eye. "Mmm-hmm," she said. "Travelling can do that. So can a bit of snappity-snap behind closed doors."

"Oh, look," said Zelda. "It's Riju."

She made a quick getaway, threading her way through the crowd, but before she could reach the diminutive Gerudo Chief, the Rito with the accordion stepped into her path.

"Princess Zelda," he said, then winced. "Um. _Queen._ "

Zelda waved away the correction.

"I apologise for the interruption," he said, not meeting her eyes. "It's good to see you. And I'd just like to further apologise for –for –"

"You're Kass, aren't you?" she said gently. "Link told me about you."

The Rito gave a miserable nod. "I'm Kass. Makata's student." He swallowed. "His only crime was that he loved you, My Lady."

Zelda soaked in the sounds of the open-air arena before she replied. "That's not a crime, Kass." Pity filled her heart. "However, how he acted on it was."

"As you say," the Rito said. "You are indeed wise."

"You have a family, am I right?"

Kass nodded again.

Zelda smiled. "Come and visit us in the castle," she said. "As my guests of honour."

Kass's eyes widened. "Thank you, My Lady," he breathed. "The honour is all mine. I'll compose a song just for the occasion. It'll be my masterpiece!"

"Thank _you_ , Kass." Zelda looked past the Rito to see Riju waving at her. Her smile widened. "Now if you'll excuse me…"

A quick run and the Queen had Riju in a long hug. "Makeela," she said. "I'm glad you made it."

"I should say the same for you," Riju replied with a smile. "I mean, what w _as_ that that Sidon came up with? Guardian lights and electrified gates…?"

Zelda returned the smile. "He's partial to his games," she said. "He thought to show everyone just how amazing we were - his words, not mine. Allow him. It's a big day, you know."

Riju nodded. "He's right, though," she said. "I've heard that the speeches you give are very well-regarded. Amazing is what Buliara told me. You were a natural all along."

Zelda wasn't so sure about that. She'd come a long way, it was true, but her newfound confidence was more a question of practice. That, and the certainty she felt in Link's love.

The Gerudo seemed to notice her discomfort. "So," she said. "How goes the work in Castle Town?"

"Excellently," Zelda replied in relief. "Thanks to our two allies. The Gorons –" She glanced over to where a group of the miners, Yunobo and their chief Bludo in their midst, laughed and drank. "- And your Gerudo who help keep the peace."

"Don't get too comfortable," said Riju. "It's not permanent. Wouldn't want your people to think it was an occupation."

"Understood." Zelda took a deep breath to speak again –

When the young Gerudo cut her off. "Don't," she warned. "Don't apologise again."

Zelda couldn't help it. "You came to my aid, Riju," she said, her wide eyes earnest. "So many of your people died fighting at the foot of Death Mountain."

"That's how they like it," Riju replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I know it sounds strange to you, but dying in battle is the highest honour for a Gerudo." She paused, the sound of clinking glasses filling the emptiness, then said. "Besides. This Ganondorf Dragmire was born of the Gerudo. I feel responsible."

"You shouldn't," said Zelda. "It had little to do with you."

"Still," Riju replied. "I'm glad we are allies now."

Zelda grinned, and hugged her once more. "As am I," she breathed. "As am I."

They spoke for a while longer about something and nothing, idle talk interspersed with more about the ancient scrolls Riju's people had unearthed, scrolls that revealed more of the history of the King of Thieves. Zelda had known that Ganon had a dark past, had infected Hyrule time and time again, and had mistakenly believed that he had given up on being reborn in anything other than a Calamity. She hadn't know that the Calamity had originally been born of the Gerudo, Ganondorf.

 _One day,_ she thought. _One day I will unravel the truth in its entirety._

As Zelda parted from Riju to mingle, she heard Kass's accordion flare up again with a jaunty tune. The loud voices of Gorons singing followed. She smiled, and thought about her fledgling Hylian Province. Her home.

Hyrule Castle once again stood in all its splendour. Zelda would awaken every morning to the sound of sawing and hammering as Hylians – led by Bolson Construction and their newest member Jadson – along with Gorons worked together to restore the town. The streets were already bustling, the last trace of rubble and Guardian debris long since cleared away.

The Gerudo had pledged themselves to her as allies. The Gorons had followed suit after witnessing, from the confines of their city, Link and Zelda's actions in the Battle of Death Mountain. Still the Rito and Zora held themselves at arm's length, impervious to Zelda's sweet overtures.

Thinking of the Rito made Zelda search out their Champion. "Teba," she said upon finding him. A glance told her that the Rito Chief Kaneli was also here. "He came, then?"

"Yeah," Teba replied. "Nothing to do with me, though. Think he has a soft spot for you."

Zelda sighed. "And yet he doesn't wish an alliance…?"

"Give it time," the Rito said. "Have patience."

Zelda smiled, as she often did these days. "It's quite alright. I _believe_."

And she did. Doubt no longer held its poison grasp over her heart. She was willing to wait.

Teba nodded over to where King Dorephan of the Zora stood with Muzu. "The fact that he was willing to be in the same place as those Zora," he said. "Well, that's something."

"It's a start," said Zelda. "That we're _all_ here together is a start."

There was a commotion in another part of the huge torchlit arena floor. Zelda turned to see the crowd part – and there he was. Link, dressed in a white tunic trimmed at the hem, neck and wrists in black, complimented with a pair of white trousers. She grinned and ran up to him.

"You're looking very handsome," she said as she took his hands.

Link smiled and said nothing. She hadn't expected him to. Zelda gazed into his eyes –

When Impa sidled up beside them and noisily cleared her throat. She raised her voice. "The bride and groom are here!"

They all turned – and so did Link and Zelda.

A smiling Paya, in her long, flowing wedding dress of green, looked radiant as she swept into the arena, arm-in-arm with a proud Prince Sidon draped in an ill-fitting suit of Zora armour that the young Sheikah woman had painstakingly made for him. Cheers erupted. Zelda even saw Impa wipe away a tear.

The Sheikah Elder coughed, her voice thick. "The pledge!" she cried. "Let them make the pledge!"

More cheers cascaded around the Coliseum. And make the pledge they did – Paya in her halting, blushing manner with Sidon encouraging her at every step by a quick squeeze of his arm around her shoulders, and the Zora prince with his clear, confident voice.

Zelda leaned in towards Link. "I can tell you're getting emotional," she said. "You only look half bored."

He turned to her and smiled. "Am I that bad?"

Zelda reached up on the tips of her toes to kiss him on the nose. "Your flaws make you perfect."

Link grimaced. "I'm _that_ bad."

Zelda grinned.

The celebrations began in earnest then. Laughing, cheering, joy and _warmth_. Zelda, Queen of the Hylians, looked around at all the smiling faces – Hylian, Gerudo, Zora and Goron; rulers and chiefs, the ordinary and the extraordinary – and felt the tide of hope rise in her heart.

She took Link's arm and laid her head to rest against his shoulder. Zelda smiled.

All was well in Hyrule.

* * *

 **A/N: Ta-daa! And there it is, my friends, my take on a fuller ending for Breath of the Wild.**

 **If you argue that BotW was mainly piecing together Zelda's story as seen through Link's eyes, then this fic was Link's story seen mostly through the eyes of Princess Zelda. I say 'mostly' as I didn't want to ignore both Paya and Mipha, who both, to varying degrees, held Link in high esteem.**

 **The cutscenes (as opposed to his in-game reactions) made a point of mentioning Link's silence (from Urbossa in the past to Teba in the present) and he always looked so painfully stoic. Yeah, there's an in-game reason for his silence, but it wasn't very convincing to me. And so** _ **Silent Knight**_ **was born and, yes, I decided to make Link full-on depressed.**

 **Perhaps a fanfic based on a video game isn't the best place to portray depression, but I've always liked to explore alternative issues in my stories. For anyone that has had depression, the fic certainly wasn't meant to make light of it, or to suggest any miracle cure.**

 **I guess now I should explain some of the narrative choices I made – since people kept calling me up on it, it probably means I've messed up somewhere in the text itself. Sigh. Here goes:**

 **A few of you had issues with the pacing of the previous chapter. There was no rush to get to the climax, I assure you. The narrative context was simply this: Zelda would have bled to death (takes less than 15 minutes, apparently) had a resolution not presented itself. Zelda's inner dialogue was meant to convey this. Is that level of realism necessary in a story like this? Perhaps not, but I like to have the story have some sort of grounding.**

 **Chapters 18 and 19 were originally intended as one chapter. As it became clear that it was getting too long, I decided to split them. Perhaps reading them altogether will help with the pacing and tension; after all, the whole thing was meant to be the 'final battle.'**

 **One person didn't like Link's father being the chosen knight to Zelda's mother. The idea here was to flesh out what Zelda said in the** _ **Shelter from the Storm**_ **memory about Link following in the footsteps of his father. True, it didn't have to be interpreted in that particular way, but the inspiration was from the game. It wasn't intended to undermine Zelda's jealousy at Link being chosen over her.**

 **That being said, you can't please everybody. I hope most of you liked most of the story! I'm done for now. There's still plenty of stuff that could be mined for fanfic in the game. Teba's an interesting character that could do well in a stand-alone story…**

 **But thank you all, and for now, I bid you farewell**

 **Split**


End file.
